Messi to Play for Argentina Against Iceland

Lionel Messi is ready to play for Argentina in their last warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup 2026. Head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Messi will be in action against Iceland on Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama.

Messi did not play in Argentina’s 2-0 friendly win over Honduras on June 6. He joined the team late as he was recovering from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. The Inter Miami player felt discomfort during a match against the Philadelphia Union before the league took a break for the World Cup.

“Messi will play, I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni said in a news conference, according to ESPN. “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.”

Scaloni also mentioned that they will be careful with the players' minutes as the defending champions get ready to protect their title. “We’re going to distribute the minutes of the players who will play tomorrow to try to avoid any mishaps,” he said.

The coach confirmed that Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina, and Gonzalo Montiel are back and ready to play after recovering from their injuries. They had been training separately for a few days.

In addition, Scaloni gave good news about Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes. Both players had fitness issues. “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 is still looking for a replacement for defender Leonardo Balerdi. He is out of the World Cup because of a calf injury and left 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.”

Argentina will start their World Cup journey against Algeria on June 16. They will also face Austria and Jordan in Group J.