Messi nears return as Argentina fine-tunes World Cup preparations
By Joel Masibo, June 6, 2026Argentina captain Lionel Messi could make his comeback in one of the national team’s remaining pre-World Cup friendly matches as he continues recovering from a hamstring problem, head coach Lionel Scaloni has revealed.
The veteran forward picked up discomfort in his left hamstring during Major League Soccer action on May 24, 2026 while representing Inter Miami CF in a thrilling 6-4 victory over Philadelphia Union. Medical assessments later confirmed muscle fatigue.
Speaking ahead of Argentina’s final preparations for the World Cup, Scaloni indicated that the 39-year-old star may feature either in Saturday’s, June 6, 2026 exhibition match against Honduras national football team in College Station, Texas, or in the Albiceleste’s last warm-up fixture against Iceland national football team in Auburn, Alabama, next Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
“Leo is doing well,” Scaloni told reporters on Friday, June 5, 2026. “He trained for a while with the main group, which is important. He’s not fully recovered, but he’s coming along. He may get some minutes in these two friendlies. We’ll see if it’s the one tomorrow or the next one. But he’s doing a lot better and that gives us peace of mind.”
Squad outlook and injury concerns
Several other squad members are also working their way back to full fitness. Midfielder Leandro Paredes, defender Nahuel Molina, youngster Nico Paz and full-back Gonzalo Montiel trained away from the main group as they manage minor injury concerns.
Scaloni stressed that only players who are fully fit will be included in the final World Cup squad, even if difficult decisions have to be made.
“It may happen,” he said. “Today we have the feeling that the guys are doing well, but what we’re completely sure of is that if any one of them is not available, they’ll be left out.”
“We have that clear. For now, they’re doing well, but we’ve been monitoring them. When the decisive stage arrives, which is the final week, where they have to ramp up to see if they are 100%, that’s when we’ll decide, even though it’ll hurt a lot if any one of the guys has to be left out.”
Argentina will begin their World Cup journey on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, with a Group J encounter against Algeria national football team before taking on Austria national football team and Jordan national football team in the remaining group-stage matches.