The world holds its breath: Lionel Messi’s World Cup 2026 dream under threat

Last Updated on 25 May 2026

The moment Lionel Messi clutched the back of his left leg and signaled to the bench, millions of hearts stopped. The greatest footballer of all time walked off the pitch. He didn’t look back. He went straight down the tunnel.

And suddenly, the question nobody wanted to ask became impossible to ignore: will Messi make it to his final World Cup? With the tournament just weeks away, timing couldn’t be crueler. This was Inter Miami’s final game before MLS pauses for the World Cup.

There is no next match to assess him. No easy warm-up to test his fitness. Just silence, and a world waiting for answers.

Why was Lionel Messi taken off clutching his leg only weeks before the World Cup?

The 38-year-old gestured to the Miami bench, asking to come off, while feeling the back of his left leg in the 73rd minute. He wore a concerned look during the wait for his number 10 to go up on the substitutions board. Then he was gone.

Fortunately, the news isn’t all bad, for now. Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos downplayed the panic, attributing the early exit to fatigue. “He was truly fatigued,” Hoyos told reporters. “When in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don’t take any risks.”

However, uncertainty remains. The club has not yet released an official medical report or scheduled an MRI. Moreover, Messi had completed the full 90 in all 13 of his prior MLS appearances this season, making this substitution anything but routine.

Argentina’s squad announcement comes next week. Their opening World Cup game against Algeria follows on June 16. Before that, tune-up friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9 will give coach Lionel Scaloni a clearer picture of Messi’s readiness.

Why Argentina cannot afford to lose Messi

Even at 38, Leo Messi remains irreplaceable. He has scored 12 goals and contributed seven assists across 16 MLS appearances this season, numbers that belong to a player still at the very top of the game.

Argentina enter this World Cup as defending champions. They are favorites again thanks to their young core. Yet their identity, their rhythm, their belief, all of it runs through a 38-year-old Messi. No other player commands the same fear or the same confidence from teammates.

This would also be his sixth and final World Cup appearance, a record-equalling milestone. The tournament is on home soil for Messi in spirit, too, co-hosted by the USA where he has built his club career. He has every reason to be there. Argentina has every reason to need him.