Scaloni eases concern over Messi ahead of Argentina's final World Cup squad list
Argentina national football team coach Lionel Scaloni tried to ease concern over Lionel Messi's health, after the captain of the world champions left Inter Miami's last match before the national team gathering because of a problem with his left hamstring. According to an AFP report published by The Guardian, Scaloni told Argentine television channel DSports that the injury, according to the first information, “is not that bad”, but he stressed that the final assessment would be based on new medical tests and on how the situation develops in the coming days. Inter Miami, according to the Associated Press, announced after examinations that Messi had been diagnosed with an overload linked to muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, without a precise timetable for a return to full training. Such wording does not necessarily point to a serious injury, but it is open enough that the Argentine staff must be cautious in the final stage of preparations.
Messi left the pitch on 24 May 2026 in the 73rd minute of the Major League Soccer match in which Inter Miami beat Philadelphia Union 6:4. The Associated Press reports that the Argentine forward slowed down several minutes before being substituted, grabbed the back of his left leg and then walked directly to the dressing room without assistance. Earlier in the same match he had recorded two assists, and the game was played in conditions of heavy rain and a slippery pitch. Inter Miami stated that the return to physical activities would depend on clinical and functional progress, which means that the club did not provide a fixed timeframe nor officially confirm when Messi could rejoin work at full intensity.
The coach is waiting for new findings before the final decision
Scaloni, according to The Guardian, said that the Argentine staff would of course have preferred the problem not to have happened at all, but he stressed that they now need to wait for the condition to develop and for additional examinations in order to confirm the initial diagnosis. His statement is important because Argentina has not yet announced its final list for the 2026 World Cup, and time for final decisions is quickly running out. FIFA stated in its official information on tournament squad lists that national teams take 26 players to the final tournament and that the deadlines for final lists are part of the final administrative phase before the competition. Because of that, every health doubt in the final week before the submission of the list can affect not only the name of an individual player but also the structure of the entire team.
According to The Indian Express, Argentina had earlier publicly announced an extended list of 55 players, but Scaloni and his staff want to make the decision on the final 26 as close to the deadline as possible. The same report cites a statement by assistant coach Roberto Ayala, who explained that members of the coaching staff prepare their own lists, discuss the differences and then leave the final decision to Scaloni. Ayala said that around 80 percent of the list has already been defined, while the remaining places are being assessed according to form, physical condition and the tactical usefulness of the players. Messi's problem therefore does not come at an isolated moment, but in a phase in which the final doubts about squad depth, positions and options for adaptation during the tournament are also being weighed.
Messi remains the central figure, but caution is inevitable
At the time of the injury, Messi was already under special attention because the 2026 World Cup could be his sixth appearance at the biggest football tournament. The Guardian reports that the Argentine captain has not formally confirmed his participation in the tournament, but it is widely expected that he will be part of Scaloni's team. If he plays, he would equal the record for the number of appearances at World Cups, alongside players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and, if selected, Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. In Argentina, his status carries both sporting and symbolic weight, because in 2022 in Qatar he led the national team to its third world title and won the Golden Ball of the tournament.
Despite that, the Argentine staff has for some time managed Messi's workload with great caution. Since his arrival at Inter Miami in 2023, his minutes have regularly been discussed, especially during periods of a congested schedule. According to AP, Inter Miami did not specify whether the decisive reason for leaving the pitch was the discomfort itself, the slippery surface after the rain or a combination of several factors. That uncertainty is the reason why Scaloni cannot publicly speak about a certain scenario, even if the first information does not indicate a more serious problem. For a national team planning to defend its title, the difference between a player who can train at full intensity and a player who must be managed can be crucial in preparing matches.
Argentina enters the tournament as defending champion
Argentina comes to the 2026 World Cup as the reigning champion, after its triumph in Qatar in 2022 and victory over France in the final. Lionel Scaloni's team has meanwhile continued to build continuity, and it confirmed qualification for the new tournament through the South American qualifiers. According to FIFA's official schedule, Argentina has been placed in Group J, which also includes Algeria, Austria and Jordan. It plays its first match against Algeria in Kansas City, then follows a meeting with Austria in Dallas, while the final group appearance against Jordan is also in Dallas.
FIFA's official schedule differs from some early media previews in local dates and time zones, which is why differences in the display of kick-off times are possible ahead of the tournament depending on the country from which the schedule is read. In the European context, some matches can move on the calendar to the following day, while in the American host cities they are played according to local time. For the Argentine staff, it is more important that the first three opponents are stylistically different: Algeria brings a physical and transitional threat, Austria under Ralf Rangnick combines high intensity and organised pressing, and Jordan enters the group as a national team that has a chance at the tournament to seek the greatest result of its generation. Such a schedule requires a clear hierarchy of key players, but also a sufficiently deep bench.
The final list will not depend only on one player
Although Messi is the biggest name in the Argentine national team, the decision on the final squad list does not come down only to his availability. According to The Indian Express, Ayala stressed that the staff is also considering whether the final places should be used to add a defender or a midfielder and how much individual candidates can offer in different systems of play. This means that players who can cover several positions are also being taken into account, because a World Cup with 48 national teams and an expanded format requires squad depth. Argentina, as defending champion, must plan not only for the group but also for a potential continuation of the competition, in which the rhythm of matches and the players' workload quickly accumulate.
In previous cycles, Scaloni often relied on a stable core, but he knew how to adjust roles depending on the opponent. In Qatar, after the defeat to Saudi Arabia, Argentina changed the team's dynamics and gradually found the balance that took it to the title. That experience gives additional weight to the current decisions: the coach knows how important it is to have players capable of reacting to changes, but also how dangerous it is to enter a tournament with an unclear health status for key first-team players. That is why Messi's situation is being viewed through two layers: as a question of his personal recovery and as a question of broader team planning.
Inter Miami has not announced a return date
The most concrete medical information so far is Inter Miami's announcement about an overload linked to muscle fatigue in the left hamstring. The Associated Press reports that Messi underwent examinations the day after the match, but the club did not publish all details of the procedure nor a detailed diagnosis beyond the stated wording. In practice, such injuries can have different recovery paths, depending on the degree of damage, the muscle's reaction to load and the findings of follow-up tests. That is exactly why Scaloni stressed that new examinations should be awaited, instead of declaring the condition resolved or serious before there is firm data for that.
Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos, according to The Guardian, explained after the match that Messi was tired, that the pitch was difficult and that he did not want to take a risk with his health. Such an approach fits the logic of the final phase before a major tournament: a player who feels discomfort in a muscle, especially in the hamstring, is rarely pushed when there is a risk of worsening the condition. An additional circumstance is that MLS has entered a break because of the World Cup, so the club schedule no longer imposes new official matches on Messi before the national team gathering. That could give the Argentine staff room for an individualised recovery, but only if the follow-up findings confirm that there is no more serious problem.
Friendly matches as the final test
Argentina has two preparation matches in the United States before the start of the World Cup. The Associated Press reports that the first is scheduled for 6 June against Honduras in College Station, Texas, and the second for 9 June against Iceland in Auburn, Alabama. Those matches should serve as the final check of form, cohesion and the physical condition of the players before entering the competitive rhythm. In Messi's case, an appearance or absence in those matches could offer a clearer signal about how ready he will be for the start of the group.
Scaloni must weigh the benefit and the risk. If Messi is close to full fitness, a few minutes in a preparation match could help him find rhythm and test the muscle's reaction. If the findings require caution, it is more realistic to expect that the staff will spare him, especially because the first group match is more important than any preparation check. In such a scenario, Argentina would have to further develop variants of play without Messi's full minutes, which is not an unfamiliar situation for Scaloni, but it still changes the distribution of responsibility in attack and midfield.
Broader significance for Argentina's title defence
Messi's possible limited readiness does not mean that Argentina automatically loses its status as one of the favourites, but it changes the tone of the final preparations. A national team defending the title must simultaneously manage expectations, media pressure and the real physical condition of its players. According to the available information, the injury has not so far been officially presented as serious, but the exact date of return to full training has not been announced either. That is why Scaloni's message is cautiously optimistic: the problem is not being dramatised, but it is also not being closed before additional findings.
For Argentina, the most important thing is that the final list be balanced enough to withstand different scenarios. If Messi is ready, Scaloni gets the captain, playmaker and finishing attacker around whom the identity of the national team has been shaped for years. If he has to manage his minutes, the rest of the attacking and midfield lines will have to prepare for greater responsibility. The final decision on the list will therefore be more than a formality: it will show how the staff assesses health risks, how much it trusts the existing core and how much room it leaves for tactical flexibility in a tournament in which Argentina wants to extend the period of the greatest success in its recent history.
Sources:
- The Guardian / AFP – Scaloni's statement on Messi's injury, Argentina's status and the schedule of group matches (link)
- Associated Press – medical status announced by Inter Miami, circumstances of leaving the match and Argentina's preparation matches (link)
- FIFA – official schedule of the 2026 World Cup and Group J matches (link)
- FIFA – official information on national team squad lists for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- The Indian Express – explanation of the process of choosing Argentina's final squad list and statements by Roberto Ayala (link)