Lionel Messi Injury: Argentina Boss Reveals Next Steps As World Cup Roster Looms

The global soccer community holds its collective breath ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi has a hamstring concern. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said his country—and the rest of the world—will have “wait and see” the extent of the damage Lionel Messi suffered playing for Inter Miami on Monday.

Messi was forced to leave the insane MLS match against Philadelphia Union in the 79th minute, with the score tied at 4–4. Miami’s initial medical report then revealed “muscle fatigue in the left hamstring” to set alarm bells ringing so close to the 2026 World Cup.

Even closing in on his 38th birthday, Messi is still central to Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team in more than 60 years to successfully retain the men’s World Cup. It would also be a blow to the tournament as a whole not to have one of the all-time greats at full health.

Scaloni doesn’t appear that worried, but more tests are required. He and his staff were watching the Miami match from their base in Argentina, immediately aware there was a potential problem when Messi left the field in the moment that he did.

“We were watching the match at the training ground. We realized he asked to be substituted, that he wasn’t well,” the 2022 World Cup-winning manager told DSports.

“The first reports are not that bad. Logically, we would prefer that nothing had happened to him. Now, we have to wait and see how he progresses. Above all, they’re going to run tests on him, I imagine, and see if it’s as they say.

“We would have liked him to arrive [in camp] without any kind of problems, but that is not the case with him and with most of the players who have had problems. They are not fully recovered. Our goal is to try to recover them and have them arrive in the best possible condition.”

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All-Time World Cup Record Beckons for Messi

Messi has played 26 World Cup matches since his 2006 debut. | Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images

Even if Messi could not play early-round matches, his selection for Argentina seems virtually guaranteed—for all that he has done for the national team in 21 years and the impact he might still have later in the tournament’s knockout rounds.

Scaloni is yet to publicly name Argentina’s roster but that announcement is imminent.

History is within reach for Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. This is going to be his sixth World Cup, which is a record for the men’s tournament that he will jointly break with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has already been named in Portugal’s squad for a sixth time. Each played their first World Cup in 2006, when Ronaldo was 21 and Messi was turning 19.

But in terms of individual World Cup matches, a new record could be Messi’s alone by July. He has already played more World Cup matches than anyone in men’s soccer, making his 26th appearance in the 2022 final against France. But the overall World Cup record belongs to USWNT legend Kristine Lilly, who played 30 times at the women’s tournament from 1991–2007.

Four appearances for Messi in 2026 equals it, and five breaks it. In total, Argentina could play up to eight times if La Albiceleste reach the final or third-place playoff.

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