I don't have a crystal ball and can't tell whether Messi and Ronaldo will play at the World Cup 2026 or not, but if it was only about the money and nothing else for both of them, wouldn't they have retired from their national teams by now? Did you notice that both Ronaldo and Messi scored very important goals for their respective national teams in the last qualifier games? If these signs could be interpreted somehow in this moment, I think they speak rather in favor of their participation at the World Cup 2026 than against it, but this is only a snapshot. Things can change or escalate quickly when one of them stops scoring and teams, coach and the fans become more critical of them.
Yeah, that's a really good point that I haven't considered.
It might be the case that they both might want to play in the next world cup. At least I'm sure they want to keep the options open.
It would be nice for the next generation to have the chance to play though.