After a seven-month hiatus, Lionel Messi has been called up to Argentina‘s national team as La Albiceleste prepare to take on Chile and Colombia in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. On Wednesday, however, Scaloni revealed that Messi was questionable for Thursday’s game in Chile.
“We haven’t decided yet if he will start in the match or not. I need to talk to him to understand his physical condition,” Scaloni said about Messi’s status for the match in a press conference on Wednesday.
“Today, we are in a position to try different things. Initially, he is ready to play, and we’ll see after that. He is coming off a good match, and we’ll make a decision soon,” the Argentina‘s head coach explained.
Today, Argentina published their starting XI, confirming that Messi will not start for the defending world champions in Santiago. The Inter Miami star, however, is expected to come off the bench at some point in the game.
Lionel Messi last played with Argentina in a match vs Peru in November (Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
The reported idea is to give Messi some rest today so that he starts in the home game against Colombia on Tuesday, Leonardo Paradizo of ESPN adds that the Argentine coaching staff doesn’t want to put Messi at risk of injury. Leo is facing a packed summer, with Inter Miami set to kick off the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 on June 14.
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The 37-year-old is coming off a productive stretch with Inter Miami, scoring two braces in his last two games. In total, Messi has scored 15 goals and provided 5 assists in 20 matches for his club this year. He hasn’t missed any minutes since April when he wasn’t called up for the match against Dallas. He recovered from a muscle strain in March.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for Inter Miami (Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Scaloni is forced to make some changes to the lineup
Argentina, who already clinched their World Cup ticket, will travel to Santiago with several absences due to injury and suspension. Among those missing are Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Nicolas Otamendi. Meanwhile, Lautaro Martinez won’t be available as he is taking some days off following the Champions League final.
As Scaloni expressed, he has called up young players for this international window, including 17-year-old sensation Franco Mastantuono from River Plate, who is in negotiations with PSG and Real Madrid. Defenders Kevin Lomonaco (Independiente) and Mariano Troilo (Belgrano) could also make their debuts with the national team.
Argentina’s confirmed starting 11 vs Chile today
Argentina will take the field in Santiago today with the following starting lineup: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Giovanni Simeone, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Thiago Almada; Nicolas Paz, Julian Alvarez.
