Lionel Messi left Inter Miami's match against Philadelphia Union on May 24 with discomfort in his left hamstring tendon. The club's medical team classified the injury as muscle fatigue — without structural damage, which was the main good news. The bad news — there was less than a month left before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
From individual exercises to the general group
According to ESPN, at the first training session of the national team in Kansas City, Messi worked separately — following a specific program under the supervision of the medical staff. The Argentine Football Federation noted that several players, including Emiliano Martínez, Nico Paz, and Leandro Paredes, also trained outside the general group.
Now Scaloni has confirmed the transition to a new stage. "Leo feels good, he's already partially trained with the team, he's no longer separated from the general group," the coach said at a press conference according to AFP.
Scaloni does not remove caveats
Despite the optimistic tone, Scaloni did not provide guarantees. According to HITC, the coach directly acknowledged: Messi is not the only health problem in the squad.
"It's not just him — many players haven't fully recovered from their injuries yet. Our main priority right now is their rehabilitation so that they reach the World Cup in peak condition."
— Lionel Scaloni
Friendly matches in June — against Honduras, Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27) in Arlington, Texas — become not preparation in the classical sense, but load testing. "We'll see if it's tomorrow's match or another one," Scaloni said regarding Messi's possible appearance on the pitch.
Context that matters more than one match
According to ESPN, last fall Messi spoke about the 2026 World Cup cautiously: assessing his condition daily to understand whether he could truly be helpful — and not just present. He and Rodrigo De Paul even conducted double training sessions with Inter Miami — mornings with the club, afternoons separately — to build fitness for the tournament. The injury interrupted this plan at the worst possible moment.
- Diagnosis: muscle fatigue of the left hamstring tendon, without rupture
- Status: partially in the national team's general group
- First World Cup match: against Algeria, June 16
- Friendly matches: Honduras, Austria, Jordan — possible limited appearance on the pitch
Argentina is the reigning world champion, and the cost of error in managing the captain's recovery is extremely high. If Messi takes the pitch in a friendly match and overloads the tendon — this is not just a missed game, but potentially a broken tournament for the entire national team.
The question is not whether Messi will play on June 16 — most likely he will. The question is how many minutes he'll be able to spend on the pitch against Algeria so that it's a real contribution, not a symbolic appearance for a warm-up photo.
