Messi out of Argentina squad for WC qualifiers

Lionel Messi will not be joining Argentina for their World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay this month, failing to make the final roster on Monday.

The 37-year-old was named to the initial 33-player roster on March 2, despite concerns over his physical status. Messi missed three matches for Inter Miami due to load management, watching from the sideline to avoid a potential injury.

After a busy start to the 2025 MLS campaign with three matches in the span of seven days, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano announced Messi would be rested due to load management.

Mascherano emphasized Messi did not sustain an injury but instead kept the player out of each game as a preventative measure.

The forward missed a total of three games, returning to the field against Jamaican club Cavalier FC in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 series.

He had been expected to make the latest squad after playing a full 90 minutes against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

"We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn't go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way. Luckily, we were able to control it and that it didn't turn into an injury or much more. Today he's better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There's no secret in this," Mascherano said ahead of Sunday's match.

The coach later revealed that Inter Miami doctors were in constant communication with the Argentina national team medical staff to stay informed on Messi's status and be able to plan accordingly.

Mascherano confirmed Messi would likely have no issues with La Albiceleste.

"Obviously the Argentinian national team doctors are in contact with the doctors here and they are the ones who specifically talk about that. I haven't spoken with the coaching staff, but if they have any consultation, I will talk to them. I don't think it will be necessary because the doctors are in contact all time."

Messi will now sit out the two World Cup qualifiers March 21 and 25, with hopes of returning to the pitch with Inter Miami on March 29 when facing the Philadelphia Union in a regular season Major League Soccer match.

La Albiceleste currently lead the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with 25 points in 12 games.