Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and football fans are wondering if the two will play each other at the competition.
With the two having amazing careers as they battled for the best player in the world, they entertained millions across the globe.
Messi and Ronaldo have not just won trophies for both club and country, but they have also won many Ballon d'Or awards between them.
As we see many superstars compete for this great award, football fans are hoping that Messi and Ronaldo will meet on the same pitch during the World Cup.
Can Ronaldo and Messi meet at the World Cup 2022?
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 12: FIFA Ballon d'Or nominees Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid smile during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2014 at the Kongresshaus on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)
Messi's country Argentina and Ronaldo's country Portugal are not in the same group at the World Cup so the two will not meet in the Group stages.
Read More: World Cup 2022: What are the groups?
Argentina are in Group C, which sees them face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, whilst Portugal are in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
With the two in groups quite far apart, they can sadly not meet each other in the last 16 or the quarter-finals either.
Messi and Ronaldo can meet in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals and the final, and here is exactly four different ways to make this happen for football fans.
How can Messi and Ronaldo meet in the 2022 World Cup final?
BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 08: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus F.C. is put under pressure by Lionel Messi of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group G stage match between FC Barcelona and Juventus at Camp Nou on December 08, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The two can meet in the World Cup final if they both win their groups and advance through every stage of the competition. They would also meet in the final if they both finished second in their groups and advance through every stage of the competition.
How can Messi and Ronaldo meet in the 2022 World Cup semi-final?
The earliest stage the two can meet is in the 2022 Qatar World Cup semi-final. The way they can do this is if one of the two nations finishes first in their group and the other finishes second. If they managed to beat their last 16 and quarter-final opponents they would then meet in the semi-final.
Has Messi or Ronaldo won a World Cup?
Sadly, neither Messi nor Ronaldo has won a World Cup. Messi has won the Copa America and Ronaldo has won the Euro's, but the two are hoping that they can finally win the World Cup when they compete in Qatar.
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