Messi does not play, Scaloni's decision that paralyzes Argentina and the United States

The time has come, Argentina will play at home against Paraguay, in gameweek number three of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Now, the question for the last few days was only one, will Lionel Messi start against Paraguay? Now, the doubt has finally been resolved.

Lionel Messi was injured the last time he played for Argentina, which was the 1-0 victory against Ecuador. The Argentine scored a free kick, and shortly before the end of the game, he was substituted, setting off alarm bells. After the game, Argentina had to play without Messi against Bolivia, a match they won without any major complications.

With Inter Miami, Lionel Messi could not play four games, Gerardo Tata Martino's team, who are totally dependent on the Argentine, failed to win any of those four games, the same reason why they failed to qualify for the playoffs and their season ended.

Now, Lionel Scaloni has something prepared for today's game: Lionel Messi will not start. At least, this was confirmed by Gastón Edul, a well-known Argentine journalist who has privileged information about the team and the players. In fact, Argentina's official lineup is already confirmed, and Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez would start together for the first time in an official match.

Lionel Messi will not go out on loan:

Given his elimination from Major League Soccer, many rumors arose about the possible transfer of Lionel Messi to FC Barcelona or Saudi Arabia. However, Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that the Argentine player remains focused on Inter Miami and will not analyze any transfer offer.