Kathmandu — In the FIFA World Cup 2026, fans’ dream of seeing Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi and Brazil’s star Neymar Jr. clash in the final will not come true.
With the group stage over, the official knockout (Round of 32) fixture has placed both Argentina and Brazil in the same bracket. This means if both teams win their matches in the Round of 32, Round of 16, and Quarterfinals, they will face each other only in the semifinal.
Since they are in the same wing, only the winner of that semifinal can reach the final, while the loser will be eliminated. Due to this structure, a Messi vs Neymar showdown in the World Cup final is mathematically impossible.
As a result, the final will feature either Messi’s Argentina or Neymar’s Brazil — but not both together.
