Lionel Messi will not participate in Argentina’s upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches due to a groin injury sustained during Inter Miami’s weekend victory over Atlanta, his club announced.
In a statement released Monday, Inter Miami revealed that medical scans confirmed Messi had suffered a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” during Sunday’s 2-1 win. The club provided no specific timeline for his recovery.
“His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition,” Inter Miami stated.
The 37-year-old star had recently returned to action for Inter Miami, scoring as a substitute in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match after missing three previous games.
Argentina must now face Uruguay this Friday and Brazil on March 25 without their captain. The world champions currently lead the South American qualifying group by five points ahead of their match against Uruguay in Montevideo, and could secure qualification for next year’s tournament in their upcoming fixtures.
With six teams qualifying directly for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Argentina sits in a strong position after 12 rounds of matches. Messi has been instrumental in their campaign, leading the competition as top scorer with six goals.
The reigning champions will also be without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate fullback Paulo Montiel for these crucial qualifiers.
Their opponents Brazil, currently sitting fifth in the standings and seven points behind Argentina, face their own key absence as 33-year-old Neymar continues to recover from a thigh injury, forcing him to delay his national team comeback.
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