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Lionel Messi was not included in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, with the forward missing out due to a muscle strain.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi down injured (AP/PTI)
Lionel Messi is set to miss the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil. The Argentine superstar has been ruled out due to an injury that he sustained while playing for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS). As revealed by the club, Messi underwent an MRI after he felt discomfort in his adductor region during the last league game against Atlanta United. “The examination’s findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle. His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition,” Inter Miami shared in an official statement.
Messi also shared an update on his unavailability for the international break on social media. “It’s sad to miss these two very special matches with the National Team against Uruguay and Brazil,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner wrote on his Instagram story.
“As always, I wanted to be there, but at the last moment, a not-so-serious injury that forced me to stop for a while before returning to play left me out. From here, I will be cheering and supporting as just another fan. Vamos Argentina!,” he added.
Despite concerns over his fitness, Messi was initially included in Argentina‘s 33-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He had been rested for three matches before returning to the Inter Miami squad for the second leg of the round-of-16 CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Cavalier FC.
Back then, coach Mascherano said that Messi had no injury and was dropped only to manage his workload ahead of a long season.
Ahead of the game against Atlanta, the Inter Miami boss said, “We tried to take away from the overload Messi had so that it wouldn’t go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and it didn’t turn into an injury or much more. Today he’s better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There’s no secret in this.”
Messi is expected to be seen in action when Inter Miami take on the Philadelphia Union in an MLS regular season fixture on March 29. He scored the opening goal against Atlanta United as Miami registered a 2-1 win in the away outing.
