Scaloni cautiously encouraged: Messi returns to group work, but Argentina does not want to take risks before the World Cup
Lionel Scaloni has received an important sign of encouragement ahead of the start of Argentina's defense of the world champion title. Lionel Messi, the national team captain and the central figure of the side that won the title in Qatar in 2022, is gradually rejoining work with the rest of the squad after problems with the hamstring of his left leg. According to Inter Miami's official statement, the initial diagnosis after additional examinations showed overload associated with muscular fatigue in the left hamstring, and the club stated that the return to full activities would depend on the player's clinical and functional progress. That left room for caution, but not for panic, which was also clearly visible from Scaloni's appearance before the match against Honduras. The Argentina head coach said that the situation is improving, that he sees the captain well and that the fact that Messi has already completed part of training with the group brings him more peace of mind.
Messi's status has in recent days become the main topic of Argentina's preparations because the injury occurred less than three weeks before the world champions' first appearance at the tournament. Inter Miami announced that Messi left the match against Philadelphia Union on May 24 due to physical discomfort, after which additional medical examinations were carried out. According to a report by the Houston Chronicle, Messi was substituted in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami's 6:4 victory in that match, and he completed his first training sessions at the Argentina national team camp in Kansas City separately from the rest of the team. Nevertheless, the same source reports Scaloni's statement that Messi had already worked through part of the training session with the group, which the coaching staff considers a positive signal in the final phase of preparations. In the Argentina camp, according to the available information, the decision about minutes will not be made on the basis of the player's reputation, but exclusively according to the assessment of risk and his physical reaction to training sessions.
Friendly matches as a test, not as a risk
Argentina plays against Honduras on June 6 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, and on June 9 against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The Argentine Football Association had previously announced that those two matches are the final tests ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where Lionel Scaloni's team will defend the title won in Qatar. In that context, Messi's appearance in the friendly matches remains open, but it is not a priority in itself. Scaloni, according to the report from the press conference, said that it remains to be seen whether the captain can get at least a few minutes in one of the two tests, and added that, if it is not against Honduras, the possibility remains for the match against Iceland. Such wording shows that Argentina is trying to find a balance between the need for Messi to regain competitive rhythm and the wish to avoid aggravating the injury immediately before the tournament.
The caution is understandable because friendly matches in this phase of preparations are different from the usual tests during the year. The head coach can use them to fine-tune the lines, test alternatives and raise intensity, but every additional minute for players coming back from injury also carries a certain risk. According to the Houston Chronicle report, Scaloni emphasized that he does not want to take risks with players who are recovering and that work is being done so that they are ready next week, when entering the final stretch of preparations becomes even more sensitive. If someone does not reach the minimum level of availability, the Argentina head coach said, he will not remain in contention for the World Cup. That message does not necessarily mean that Messi's appearance at the tournament is in question, but it clearly shows that the coaching staff does not want to take players who cannot meet the demands of the biggest competition.
Opening against Algeria and the schedule in Group J
According to FIFA's official schedule, Argentina will begin the defense of its title against Algeria in Kansas City, in a Group J match played on June 16 local time. The same schedule places Argentina in a group with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, which means that the world champion will already have three stylistically different opponents in the first phase. After the match against Algeria, the Argentina national team plays against Austria on June 22, and against Jordan on June 27, according to the schedule reported by official and organizational sources connected to the tournament. The 2026 World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, and FIFA had earlier confirmed the expanded format with 48 national teams. Because of such a format, the group will not be only a fight for the first two places, but also for as good a position as possible in the continuation of the tournament, because the eight best third-placed national teams also advance to the knockout phase.
Argentina enters the tournament with the burden of being the reigning world champion, but also with a team that has gradually changed since the final in Qatar. On May 28, AFA announced a list of 26 players for the 2026 World Cup, including goalkeepers Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli and Juan Musso, defenders such as Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero, midfielders Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Paredes, and forwards Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Thiago Almada and Nicolás Paz. Such a list shows that Scaloni still counts on the core that marked the most successful period of the Argentina national team in recent history, but also on players who have since been given a greater role. For the head coach, therefore, the key issue is not only whether Messi will be ready for the first round, but also what condition the rest of the players who carry the team's structure will be in. That is precisely why the final week before the tournament is more of a medical-tactical operation for Argentina than just sporting preparation.
Injuries change plans and open space for replacements
Messi is not the only player whose condition is being monitored with special attention. According to the Houston Chronicle report, in the Argentina dressing room there is a broader list of players who are not fully ready or are returning after problems, including Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Julián Álvarez, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Leandro Paredes, Nicolás González and Nicolás Paz. For a national team that bases its best performances on the coordination of its lines, pressing at the right moment and quick forward transitions, that is not an insignificant detail. If several regular players cannot play at full intensity, the way Scaloni can set up the team changes, especially against opponents who will try to exploit every sign of physical uncertainty. That is why the matches against Honduras and Iceland are useful not only as a check of form, but also as a test of squad depth.
In the goalkeeping position, Scaloni has three names with experience, but also a specific situation with Emiliano Martínez. The Houston Chronicle states that Martínez trained with a problem in a finger on his right hand and that the friendly matches could serve to give minutes to Juan Musso and Gerónimo Rulli. In defense, according to the same report, Cristian Romero's return is important for the stability of the central part of the back line, while problems on the right flank raise the question of the team's balance in the defensive and attacking phases. In midfield, Paredes's condition is important for controlling the rhythm, although Argentina has Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and De Paul as a trio capable of carrying a large part of possession and the transition from phase to phase. In attack, Julián Álvarez, alongside Lautaro Martínez, is one of the most important options for pressing the opponent's back line, so his readiness could also affect whether Messi has a full or managed role in the first matches.
What Messi's recovery means for Argentina's game
Messi's presence in the Argentina national team is not only a question of the final pass or finishing. In November 2025, AFA announced that Messi had recorded 198 appearances, 116 goals and 62 assists for the national team, which kept him as Argentina's all-time leading scorer and one of the main creators of play. Those figures explain why so much attention is being built around his physical condition, but they do not change the fact that the 38-year-old captain must be carefully managed in a tournament rhythm. In high-intensity matches, his movement between the lines, his ability to slow down or speed up the attack and to draw several opposing players still change the space for his teammates. But if he is not fully ready for repeated sprints and changes of direction, Argentina must have an alternative plan prepared in advance.
Thiago Almada is emerging as one of the natural options for part of the role that Messi usually has in organizing the attack. According to a report from the Argentina camp, Almada had already previously known how to enter the lineup when Messi was not available, and his mobility can help in connecting the midfield and the final third. Still, a replacement for Messi cannot be copied player by player, because the Argentina captain changes the geometry of the attack simply through his position on the pitch and the defense's reaction to his receiving the ball. That is why Scaloni could try different arrangements in the friendly matches: with one forward in front of the midfield line, with two players in the final third or with an additional midfielder who ensures balance. Such decisions will not matter only for the match against Honduras or Iceland, but also for possible minutes in which Messi will have to be used more sparingly at the World Cup.
FIFA's rules leave little room for late changes
According to FIFA's rules for the 2026 World Cup, national teams have between 23 and 26 players in the final squad, and replacements on the final list are permitted only in the case of serious injury or illness, and no later than 24 hours before the first match of the team concerned. FIFA has also stated that goalkeepers may be replaced during the tournament in the case of serious injury or illness, under special rules and with approval. This means that Argentina, like the other national teams, must assess in the final days of preparations not only whether an individual player can play, but whether he can withstand the rhythm of the tournament. In Messi's case, according to the currently available information, there is no talk of an officially confirmed absence, but of a controlled return after a muscular problem. Still, the very fact that the rules limit late changes explains why, in the Argentina staff, caution is being placed ahead of the desire for the captain to play already in the first possible test.
For Scaloni, an additional challenge is that the status of reigning champion does not leave much room for improvisation in public expectations, while tournament reality demands cool-headed decisions. Argentina has quality and depth, but the way it won the biggest titles under Scaloni depended on clear roles and trust in the physical readiness of key players. For that reason, Messi's partial return to group work can be interpreted as a good sign, but not as final confirmation that he will play to the full extent. The next training sessions and possible minutes against Honduras or Iceland will show how stable the recovery is. By the match against Algeria, Argentina will try to get an answer to a question that goes beyond one name: can it begin its title defense with the strongest version of its structure, or will it have to adapt its plan from the very first round to the condition of its most important players.
Sources:
- Houston Chronicle / La Voz de Houston – report from Argentina's preparations, Scaloni's statements about Messi, list of injured players and schedule of friendly matches (link)
- Inter Miami CF – official medical statement on the initial diagnosis of Messi's left hamstring problem (link)
- Asociación del Fútbol Argentino – official announcement of Argentina's friendly matches against Honduras and Iceland ahead of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Asociación del Fútbol Argentino – official list of Argentina's 26 players for the defense of the title at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official schedule of the Argentina – Algeria match in Group J of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the rules on squad-list size and possible replacements due to serious injury or illness (link)
- Asociación del Fútbol Argentino – official overview of Messi's national-team numbers and status as Argentina's top scorer (link)