World Cup News

With the 2026 MLS season already underway, questions are being raised about when Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will play his next game. Lionel Messi is still making history at 38 years old, remaining a cornerstone and captain for both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. With the 2026 Major League Soccer season now underway, fans are wondering when they’ll see the forward back in action. Lionel Messi’s next match with Inter Miami is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, when the Herons will be hosting New England Revolution in the MLS at the Nu Stadium. The Argentine legend heads into the fixture after going scoreless in the 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake. As for international duty with Argentina national team, Lionel Messi is set to return to action during the June international window. Before the World Cup gets underway, the Albiceleste will be facing Honduras on June 6th, and Iceland on June 9, leaving Messi and company just one week to regroup before their tournament opener against Algeria on the 16th. The 2026 MLS campaign has just begun for Messi, who has featured in ten official matches so far across all competitions, scoring eight times without registering an assist. The opener came against LAFC, who handed Inter Miami a 3-0 defeat in front of a packed crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during the MLS match against LAFC. Lionel Messi and the task of defending the World Cup title The year 2026 will be especially significant for Messi, not only because of Inter Miami’s ambitions but also because he’ll head into the 2026 World Cup aiming to defend the title. The triumph in Qatar in 2022 marked one of the defining peaks of his career, and now in North America he’ll enter another tournament wearing the champions’ badge for the first time. Drawn into Group J, Argentina will open its campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The second match will be against Austria on Monday the 22nd in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, before closing the group stage against Jordan on Saturday the 27th, also in Texas. The Argentina FA has announced that the national team will base itself in Kansas City during the tournament, though training facilities have yet to be confirmed. Expected to be his final World Cup appearance, Messi will have a chance to add to his record haul with a squad coached by Lionel Scaloni that remains one of the strongest in international soccer after winning the last World Cup and back-to-back Copa América titles.

All signs point to Lionel Messi being included in Argentina’s preliminary squad, a key step ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off on June 11, meaning all 48 participating teams are entering the final stretch of their preparations for the tournament. Argentina are closely monitoring Lionel Messi’s situation, as he has yet to publicly confirm whether he will play in the competition. However, time is running short, and that decision cannot be delayed much longer. By May 11, all participating federations must submit a preliminary list to FIFA with the players under consideration for the tournament. That means Lionel Scaloni will have to make a decision soon. “The coach will include Messi in the list of 55 players that will serve as the starting point for the final 26-man squad, which must be submitted to FIFA before May 30,” journalist Leandro Contento of La Nacion, one of Argentina’s most prestigious outlets, reported on Thursday. So far, the Inter Miami forward has remained cautious about his chances of playing in what would be his sixth World Cup. The reason lies in doubts about whether he can meet the physical demands of the tournament, as he will be turning 39 by then. Lionel Scaloni, Head Coach of Argentina. While his inclusion in Argentina’s preliminary squad would not necessarily confirm his presence at North America 2026, it would represent another step toward that outcome. It would mark the first official decision linking Messi to the national team in relation to the upcoming World Cup. What is the purpose of the World Cup preliminary squad? In recent years, FIFA has established two key deadlines for national teams participating in the World Cup. The first requires teams to submit a preliminary list of players under consideration for the tournament, while a later deadline is used to finalize the official roster. In principle, once the final 26-man squad is set, any changes due to injuries or exceptional circumstances can be made with FIFA’s approval. In those cases, replacements must come from the players included in the preliminary list. That initial list, however, is less restrictive than the final roster. In fact, coaches are not required to name the maximum of 55 players—they can submit a smaller group, as long as it includes at least 35. That is exactly what Lionel Scaloni did ahead of Qatar 2022. He put together a 48-player list that included injured players—such as Giovani Lo Celso—as well as young prospects with little chance of making the final squad, like Nicolas Paz and Alejandro Garnacho. When Nicolas Gonzalez and Joaquin Correa had to be replaced due to injury at the last minute, their replacements—Angel Correa and Thiago Almada—were already part of the preliminary list.

If a man wants to know what type of man stands in front of him, he will ask him about the burning issues in the world, such as; USA or China, Xbox or PlayStation, iPhone or Android, Jordan or Lebron. But above all of them would be one unsolvable and most debatable debate that has… The post Argentina and Portugal: The Song of Ice and Fire first appeared on Breaking The Lines.

Dotun, Andy and David relive an extraordinary night for Lionel Messi and Argentina as they thwacked Croatia to reach the World Cup final. While Messi summons the spirit of Zinedine Zidane in 2006, we discuss how Lionel Scaloni and the supporting cast have turned things around since defeat to Saudi Arabia. We also explain why Portugal’s match-up with José Mourinho is a terrible idea and we preview the big one tonight! Can Morocco do it? Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.