Football Legends Set for Their Final Farewell

The world's eyes turn to a pivotal moment that may close an exceptional chapter in the history of football, with the approaching end of the era of the three legends Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar da Silva in the World Cup.

It seems that the feelings of farewell are closer than ever, after direct statements from the three stars indicated that the 2026 World Cup might be their last stop on the grandest global stage.

Argentine Lionel Messi said: 'It made sense not to participate in the 2026 World Cup, but here we are now.'

Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo made his position clearer by saying: 'This will be my last World Cup. I will be 41 years old, and I think this is the right time.'

In the same context, Brazilian Neymar da Silva confirmed that he has one last goal in the World Cup, saying: 'I have one last mission: the 2026 World Cup.'

A Historic Edition with a New System

The 2026 World Cup will witness an unprecedented transformation in the history of the competition, after it was decided to increase the number of participating teams to 48 for the first time, compared to just 32 teams in the last edition held in Qatar.

The upcoming edition will be the largest in the history of the World Cup, both in terms of the number of teams and matches, with 104 matches scheduled throughout the tournament, which will be jointly organized by three countries for the first time: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The tournament is set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 different cities, with 11 cities in the United States, 3 cities in Mexico, and 2 cities in Canada.

The tournament will also set a new record in terms of organization duration, as the competitions will last for 39 days, surpassing the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which lasted 29 days, as well as the 2014 and 2018 editions, which extended for 32 days.