Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers this month after sustaining a groin strain during Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta at the weekend, his club confirmed on Monday.
Messi has been excluded from Argentina’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay on Friday and Brazil on March 25. Inter Miami stated that a scan revealed a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” and that Messi’s return will depend on his recovery progress, though no specific timeline was provided.
The 37-year-old missed three games for Inter earlier this month but returned with a goal off the bench in a CONCACAF Champions Cup win.
As defending World Cup champions, Argentina can secure qualification for next year’s tournament with strong results in their next two matches. They currently lead the South American qualifying group by five points ahead of their game with Uruguay in Montevideo. The top six teams automatically qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while the seventh-placed team, Bolivia, has 13 points.
After 12 rounds, Messi is the top scorer in the qualifiers with six goals. Argentina is also missing injured players, including Roma’s Paulo Dybala and River Plate’s Paulo Montiel.
Brazil will also be without Neymar, who is sidelined with a thigh injury, preventing his return to the national team. Brazil sits fifth in the qualifiers, seven points behind Argentina.
Argentina Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, ENG), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille, FRA), Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven, NED).
- Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille, FRA), Cristian Romero (Tottenham, ENG), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica, POR), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon, FRA), Facundo Medina (Lens, FRA), Juan Foyth (Villarreal, ESP), German Pezzella (River Plate).
- Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma, ITA), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, ENG), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, GER), Maximo Perrone (Como, ITA), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea, ENG), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Benjamin Dominguez (Bologna, ITA), Thiago Almada (Lyon, FRA).
- Forwards: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, ITA), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Nicolas Paz (Como, ITA), Santiago Castro (Bologna, ITA), Nicolas Gonzalez (Juventus, ITA).
