Lionel Messi set to return for Argentina ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026. Image Credit: ANI
Lionel Messi Injury News: Head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Lionel Messi will play against Iceland on Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama, in Argentina’s final warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite participating in the pre-match warm-up, Messi was unable to play in Argentina’s 2-0 friendly victory against Honduras on June 6 because he was still recovering from left hamstring strain. After feeling uncomfortable during his team’s MLS match against the Philadelphia Union before to the league’s suspension for the World Cup, the Inter Miami attacker joined the national team camp.
Yes, Lionel Messi will be playing Argentina’s final warm-up game against Iceland ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Speaking ahead of the Iceland clash, Scaloni said Argentina would carefully manage the workload of several players, including the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. “Messi will play, I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I still need to talk to him in today’s training, and we will see how many minutes he plays to avoid any type of risks. We will decide, but in principle he will play.”
The Argentina coach added that the squad’s minutes would be monitored closely as the reigning world champions prepare for their title defence. “We’re going to distribute the minutes of the players who will play tomorrow to try to avoid any mishaps,” said the World Cup-winning coach.
Scaloni also confirmed that Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are available for selection after recovering from injuries that had forced them to train separately in recent days. Meanwhile, the coach provided positive updates on Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes, both of whom have been dealing with fitness concerns. “Julian Alvarez is doing well; he has an ankle discomfort that’s going away,” Scaloni said. “Lea Paredes is also coming along well; in the next few days, he’ll be able to rejoin the group.”
Argentina are still weighing options to replace defender Leonardo Balerdi, who was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a calf injury and leaving the squad last week. “We’ll have a clearer picture tomorrow after the match regarding his replacement,” Scaloni said. “We can cover Balerdi’s position, but we are also looking at other options depending on how the rest of the injured players progress.”
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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