Captain Lionel Messi ruled out for Argentina's fixtures against Chile, Colombia

Argentina's legendary skipper Lionel Messi is set to miss the nation's latest FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers as he struggles with ligament issues.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni announced the latest squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September which also sees the exclusion of Angel de Maria who announced his retirement from international football after the Copa America win in July. Messi will miss both Argentina's qualifiers against Chile and Colombia as they look to cement their place in the 2026 showpiece.

Messi to miss World Cup qualifiers

Having suffered damage to his knee ligaments during the Copa America 2024 semifinal clash against Canada, Messi was doubtful for both his club and the international fixtures after the injury left him as a huge doubt for the Copa America final against Colombia. However, Messi played in the final but did not complete the match as he struggled for with a ligament issue and was substituted in the 66th minute.

The injury also meant that Messi's club Inter Miami was unable to use his services for the Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Leagues Cup in the United States.

The latest news won't come as a relief for all the Messi fans as they will have to wait a little longer for the player to make his comeback. Currently, no set date has been mentioned for his return to football, but it is widely expected that Messi could feature in the MLS in October with a huge tussle for the MLS title expected during the final phase of the season.

Germany midfielder Ilkay Gündogan announces international retirement amid club exit rumours

Argentina squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Walter Benítez and Juan Musso.

Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Germán Pezzella, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolás Tagliafico and Valentín Barco.

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Giovani Lo Celso, Guido Rodríguez and Ezequiel Fernández.

Nicolás González, Lautaro Martínez, Alejandro Garnacho, Julián Álvarez, Matìas Soulè, Valentin Carboni, Giuliano Simeone and Valentín Castellanos.