Lionel Messi avoids suspension alongside Argentina teammate thanks to World Cup loophole
The annual MLS All-Star game takes place on July 26, but will be missing its biggest name.
Lionel Messi will not appear at the 30th edition of the marquee showdown.
Messi and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul have been granted special leave meaning the pair will miss the game at the Bank Of America Stadium.
They fall under specific player welfare protections established by the global players’ union, FIFPro.
“Prior to the start of the 2026 season, Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Association agreed that upon a player’s exit from the World Cup competition, clubs would have individual conversations with each player to determine the appropriate rest and return to training and competition timeline,” the MLS wrote in its announcement.
“Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game.”
Both players made it to the World Cup final, where Argentina took on Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Spain secured their second World Cup, defeating the defending champions 1-0, was followed by ugly scenes after the full-time whistle.
Lionel Messi’s third missed All-Star game
It marks the third time that the 39-year-old has been named to the MLS’ roster, but has not appeared in the game.
In 2025, Messi and teammate Jordi Alba officially pulled out of the 2025 MLS All-Star game on the day of the match.
The league stepped in to suspend both of them for one match, as they did not have a documented injury.
Messi missed the showpiece event in 2024 after sustaining an ankle injury in the Copa America final earlier in the month.
The four roster replacements were named on Saturday, with Liga MX’s Monterrey striker Hugo Cuypers and Chicago Fire’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi also missing out.
Cuypers was sold to the Mexican League after the Fire splashed out on Robert Lewandowski.
Mbokazi is recovering from a thigh tear and he is expected to miss significant time.
USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter is likely to miss too as he is expected to complete his transfer to Middlesborough player soon.
With Messi and De Paul unavailable, MLS has tipped fellow Miami midfielder Yannick Bright as one of the four replacements.
Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Andrés Cubas, is also now part of the squad. He played a big part in Paraguay’s run to the World Cup round of 16 against France which included the upset of Germany in the round of 32.
Fire forward Philip Zinckernagel named to the team in place of Cuypers with five goals and seven assists in 15 matches this season.
Houston Dynamo FC forward Guilherme comes into the mix as well, currently a favorite in the race for the 2026 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.
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