Lionel Messi will return to action when Argentina face Iceland in their final warm-up match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed.
Messi missed Argentina’s 2-0 friendly victory over Honduras on June 6 as he continued to recover from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring.
The Inter Miami captain joined the national team camp after experiencing discomfort during his club’s final MLS match before the league paused for the World Cup.
“Messi will play. I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni told reporters. “I still need to speak with him after training. We’ll decide how long he plays because we don’t want to take any risks.”
Scaloni said his coaching staff would carefully manage playing time against Iceland to keep the squad fresh and avoid injuries before Argentina begin their title defence.
The Argentina boss also welcomed the return of Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, who have recovered from injuries that limited their training in recent days.
He added that Julian Alvarez continues to recover from an ankle problem, while Leandro Paredes has made steady progress and should rejoin full training within days.
Scaloni also confirmed that Argentina have yet to decide who will replace defender Leonardo Balerdi, who left the squad after suffering a calf injury.
Argentina begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 before taking on Austria and Jordan in Group J. The reigning champions will hope Messi’s return provides another boost as they prepare to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago.
