Lionel Messi has been sidelined from the Argentina national team due to a recent muscle strain brought on by lingering fatigue during his final stretch with Inter Miami. However, with only one tune-up match remaining before the reigning champions launch their 2026 World Cup campaign, head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Messi will see the pitch against Iceland.
When asked during his pre-match press conference whether Messi would start, Scaloni was direct about the superstar’s availability: “He is going to play; what I don’t know is how many minutes. I still have to speak with him, we still have today’s training session. We will see how many minutes to avoid taking any kind of risk, and we will decide then. But in principle, yes, he will get minutes.“
The matchup against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium marks Argentina’s final dress rehearsal before La Albiceleste begins its title defense on June 16 against Algeria. After sitting out entirely during Saturday’s clash against Honduras, Messi is set to get some much-needed game action under his belt before the tournament kicks off in North America.
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