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MIAMI: Inter Miami and Lionel Messi have agreed to extend the Argentine superstar’s contract to remain in Major League Soccer (MLS) beyond next year’s World Cup, according to a source close to the club.

The contract extension would ensure that the 38-year-old remains in competitive action until and after the 2026 World Cup hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

The tournament gets under way on June 11, with the final to be played at the MetLife Stadium on July 19.

Messi’s previous deal was due to run out at the end of this year following the 2025 MLS season.

An official announcement is expected within the next two weeks, said the source contacted by AFP late Wednesday, and could mean Messi ending his career in the MLS.

Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023 after an unhappy stay at Paris Saint-Germain, but the rump of his stellar career was spent at Barcelona, where he played from 2004 to 2021 after coming through the youth system at the Spanish giants.

At Barcelona he won the La Liga title 10 times and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on four occasions.

In 2022, he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and has expressed a desire to try to retain the trophy next year.

He has scored 114 international goals and also won the Copa America twice with Argentina, in 2021 and 2024.

Messi could play at a sixth World Cup next year, which would set a new all-time record, although he could be matched by long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is also just three goals short of Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals.

Argentina comfortably booked a spot at next year’s finals, finishing nine points clear at the top of the South American qualifying table.

Messi finished as the top scorer with eight goals, including a brace in what may have been his last competitive match on home soil against Venezuela two weeks ago.

He was named the MLS Most Valuable Player in the 2024 season even though Inter Miami were eliminated in the playoffs.

In 2025 he became the fastest player to reach 40 goals in MLS history.

Inter Miami sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and well-positioned to qualify for the play-offs, with multiple games in hand on most of their rivals due to their participation in the Club World Cup.

They were thrashed 4-0 in the last 16 of that tournament by Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi’s side were also well beaten in the final of the Leagues Cup earlier this month, going down 3-0 to Seattle Sounders.

SAN FRANCISCO: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz returns to the court in the wake of his US Open triumph on Friday when he headlines a Team Europe side aiming to retain the Laver Cup title against Team World.

This year’s edition of the global tennis showdown will see some changes at Chase Arena, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

France’s Yannick Noah takes over from Bjorn Borg as captain of Team Europe while American Andre Agassi is the new captain of Team World, succeeding John McEnroe.

Europe are defending the title they won last year in Berlin. They have won five of the first seven editions, although Team World triumphed the last time the competition co-created by Swiss great Roger Federer was held in North America, in Vancouver in 2023.

Europe won’t have world No. 2 Jannik Sinner or fourth-ranked superstar Novak Djokovic.

But Noah captains a strong lineup that also features world No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany, Denmark’s Holger Rune, Norway’s Casper Ruud, Czech Jakub Mensik and Italian Flavio Cobolli.

Miami Masters champion Mensik is riding high after helping Czech Republic defeat the US to book a spot in the Davis Cup finals.

Alcaraz arrived in San Francisco on Monday, showing off his newly colored platinum hair, with which he celebrated his Sept. 7 victory over Sinner in the US Open final.

Team World has been hit by the withdrawals of Americans Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.

But they have two top-10 players in American Taylor Fritz and Aussie Alex de Minaur and rising talents Alex Michelsen and Joao Fonseca alng with Francisco Cerundolo and American Reilly Opelka.

At 19, Brazil’s Fonseca will be the youngest player ever to compete in the Laver Cup.

Fonseca admitted he was star-struck when he was able to meet his idol Federer for the first time this week.

But he’ll be down to business on Friday as he opens the night session against Cobolli.

Competition will kick off with Ruud taking on Opelka. Ruud is 4-0 against the big-serving American.

“Hopefully, I can lead Team Europe to a good start, give us some good momentum,” said Ruud, who captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Madrid this year.

“I know how tough it is to play him, especially with his serve. There’s a different rhythm.”

Mensik will take on Michelsen in the second of three singles matces on Friday and Alcaraz will make his bow in the evening’s closing doubles alongside Mensik against Fritz and Michelsen.

Friday’s matches are worth one point apiece. Saturday’s schedule also features three singles and one doubles match, all worth two points apiece.

Sunday’s schedule opens with doubles, followed by three singles as required — all worth three points.

The first team to reach 13 points claims the cup.