Argentina head coach Scaloni provides update on whether Lionel Messi will play against Puerto Rico

Lionel Messi has returned to the Argentine national team after missing the country’s last match and could feature against Puerto Rico on Tuesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ahead of the friendly, Lionel Scaloni has provided an update on Messi’s potential involvement.

Lionel Messi was not named in Argentina’s 23-man squad for the friendly match against Venezuela last Saturday despite being invited for this month’s internationals. Scaloni explained the reason for Messi’s absence in their last outing, stating he wanted to experiment with a two-striker system involving Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez as well as give Manuel Lopez the opportunity to make his senior team debut.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lionel Scaloni appeared optimistic about Lionel Messi’s participation in the match, emphasizing that the captian's fitness would determine his participation. He added that Messi would play if he’s in good condition, though he was unsure how many minutes he would get.

"Leo Messi finished well on Saturday and wants to be there. I saw him play on Saturday. From what I know, he finished fine, though I haven’t spoken to him yet. Now we have our final training session before Tuesday’s match, and as we always do before the last one, I’ll talk to him, if he’s in condition, he’ll play. He’ll probably be there, but I can’t confirm how many minutes he’ll get," Scaloni said.

Lionel Messi played his final competitive match in Argentina in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Venezuela in September. La Albiceleste have booked their spot in next year’s World Cup, finishing first in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers table.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina teammate makes bold 2026 World Cup claim

Lionel Messi’s national teammate Alexis Mac Allister believes Argentina are one of the main contenders for the 2026 World Cup. La Albiceleste will look to defend their crown next summer, having defeated France in 2022 to win their third title.

In addition to Argentina, Mac Allister also named France, Spain, and Brazil among the contenders for the next edition of the Mundial. He told Tyc Sports:

“Argentina, France, and Spain — although Brazil can also be added, because they’re bouncing back. Even if they’re not at their best right now, they’re a team full of great players, and now they have a great coach. It’s Brazil — they have history and weight, so I think the winner will come from those four.”

Argentina have shown no shown no signs of slowing down since winning the 2022 World Cup. They went on to win the Copa America in 2024 and are currently ranked third in FIFA rankings.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide