After playing every minute of Argentina’s run to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Lionel Messi has been excused from the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte.
Argentina fell 1-0 to Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19, ending what was a remarkable tournament run for Messi and his teammates.
The 39-year-old Inter Miami attacker had been named among the first 11 MLS All-Stars before the World Cup began, having scored 12 goals and recorded eight assists in 14 MLS games this season.
His club and international teammate Rodrigo De Paul will also miss the All-Star Game for the same reason, having been part of Argentina’s squad throughout the tournament.
MLS released a statement confirming both absences, citing an agreement reached before the 2026 season between the league and the MLS Players Association.
The statement read: “Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game.”
FIFA and the FIFPRO player’s union mandate that players who reach the World Cup final must receive at least 21 days of rest from the day their team is eliminated before they can be required to return to action.
Messi’s 21-day rest window started Monday, July 20, meaning he is eligible to take time off until August 10 before any club obligations become mandatory.
If he takes the maximum amount of rest allowed, he could miss as many as five Inter Miami games in addition to the All-Star Game itself.
This situation contrasts sharply with last season, when Messi missed the 2025 MLS All-Star Game due to fatigue and received a one-game suspension as a result, leading to notable tension with league commissioner Don Garber.
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas responded to that punishment by calling the 2025 suspension “draconian,” and Garber later acknowledged the league could have handled the situation better.
On this occasion, no suspension will follow, as Messi’s absence is officially excused under the pre-agreed World Cup rest framework that MLS put in place ahead of the season.
Messi finished the 2026 World Cup second in the Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé, contributing eight goals and four assists across the tournament.
It was the third World Cup final of his career with Argentina and the second consecutive, following La Albiceleste’s triumph in 2022.
Messi is expected to return to Inter Miami in August, ready to resume his club campaign after an extraordinary summer on the international stage.
