We are just awaiting for him to decide," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said about Lionel Messi and the World Cup.

The World Cup draw on Friday morning in Washington D.C. revealed most of the teams coming to the Bay Area to play at Levi’s Stadium next June.

Lionel Messi isn't saying if he plans to play in the 2026 World Cup. The 38-year-old star led Argentina to the top of the standings of South America’s World Cup qualifiers, but he hasn't confirmed if he'll help his country defend its 2022 title. The World Cup draw is on Friday.

Argentina and Lionel Messi will play Algeria to open their World Cup title defense as part of a group that also includes Austria. (AP video by Ronald Blum)

After the final 2026 World Cup draw on Friday in Washington D.C., we have a much better idea of the teams that will play most of the six games scheduled at Levi’s Stadium in the Bay Area. These are the final group allocations: * Teams that will play in the Bay Area / **Teams that might potentially play in the Bay Area

World Cup draw assigns Kansas City three group-stage matches and two knockout ties. Group J will feature Argentina and Messi; Groups E and F list top-ranked European teams. Kansas City will host matches June 16–27 and may serve as team base camp and hub.

Lionel Messi's Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal learned their opponents for the 2026 World Cup after the draw was completed on Friday.

As for the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino will be pretty content with his nation’s opponents on home soil. With an average ranking of 33, Group D is the fifth-toughest, also containing Australia, Paraguay and UEFA Playoff Winner C, which will be one of Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.