Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed Lionel Messi will feature in the final friendly before the 2026 World Cup against Iceland on Tuesday night in Auburn, Alabama.
“Messi will play, I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni said in a news conference on Monday. “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.”
Messi was on the bench but did not play in Argentina’s friendly win over Honduras on June 6. He did take part in pregame warmups at the game in College Station, Texas, on Saturday.
The Inter Miami CF captain reported to the Argentina national team camp after suffering from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. He exited Inter Miami’s final game before MLS’ World Cup break against the Philadelphia Union in the 73rd minute due to discomfort, before the team confirmed the muscle fatigue.
The initial prognosis indicated his progress would be determined day-to-day. Scaloni previously said that Messi began partly training with the rest of the squad on June 5.
“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 confirmed Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are also available to feature for the national team against Iceland. The three players had previously been training separately due to varying injuries.
The Albicelese manager also provided injury updates on Julián Álvarez and Leandro Paredes.
“Julian Álvarez 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.”
Scaloni is still waiting to announce Leonardo Balerdi’s replacement in the 26-man squad. The Marseille defender left the camp last Thursday with a calf injury and will not play in the World Cup.
“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 is set to debut in the 2026 World Cup on June 16 when facing Algeria, before going on to play against Austria and Jordan in Group J.
