Lionel Messi, Ronaldo may face off in KC with loser ending international career

Pete Grathoff, The Kansas City Star on Dec 5, 2025

Published in Soccer

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A frustrated Lionel Messi once stepped away from representing Argentina.

After Argentina lost the Copa América final to Chile in 2016, Messi said he would never again don the striped blue-and-white jersey of his home nation. That retirement didn’t last long.

And in 2022, Messi finally helped Argentina win a major tournament as he lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

Messi will turn 39 next summer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so there is a good chance he will retire for good when Argentina wins a second straight title or is eliminated.

As he is on the cusp of scoring his 900th career goal, Messi is considered one of the best players of all time. A raging debate among soccer fans is if he or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is superior.

In what could be an awesome turn of events for Kansas City, Ronaldo and Messi could face off at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The World Cup draw has Argentina is the top team in Group J, while Portugal headlines Group K. If both win their groups and a pair of knockout matches, they would meet in a quarterfinal match at Arrowhead on July 11.

Here’s what makes that scenario juicier: Ronaldo turns 41 in February, and the 2026 World Cup is almost certain to be his final international tournament with Portugal.

Ronaldo has scored 954 goals in his epic career.

Portugal and Argentina playing in an elimination game in Kansas City would be incredible by itself. But factor in the possibility of it being either Messi’s or Ronaldo’s final international match, and it would be one of the most highly anticipated games in World Cup history.