Messi Sidelined for Argentina’s World Cup Qualifiers with Adductor Injury

Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay on March 21 and Brazil on March 25 due to a low-grade adductor injury, coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed Monday.

The 37-year-old captain, excluded from the 25-man squad announced at 9:16 AM IST, suffered the injury during Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Sunday, where he scored in the 20th minute. An MRI later revealed the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region, Inter Miami stated, noting his return hinges on treatment progress.

Scaloni’s squad, set to face second-placed Uruguay in Montevideo and fifth-placed Brazil in Buenos Aires, also omits Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Montiel, and Giovani Lo Celso, with Alejandro Garnacho and Claudio Echeverri dropped from an earlier list. Argentina, atop South America’s qualifiers with 10 wins in 12 matches, could secure 2026 World Cup qualification with victories, but Messi’s absence—a blow to the reigning champions—shifts pressure onto stars like Julián Álvarez.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup hero, has faced recurring injuries this MLS season, missing three games in March before returning for a CONCACAF Champions Cup match last Thursday. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano had deemed him fit to start Sunday, but the adductor issue—initially reported as a sore left thigh by Argentine media—now sidelines the league MVP.