Lionel Messi is set to miss the MLS All-Star Game for the second season running, but this time will escape a suspension, the league announced on Saturday.
The news comes a year after the Argentine captain was handed a one-game ban by Major League Soccer for not participating in the fixture, a move which Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas called “draconian” and said left Messi “extremely upset.”
But, with the likes of Messi and teammate Rodrigo De Paul having played in the World Cup final on July 19, the league has softened its stance this year.
“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,” an MLS statement on Saturday read.
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“Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game.”
Neither Messi nor De Paul have featured in Inter Miami‘s league wins over the Chicago Fire or CF Montreal since the World Cup.
FIFPRO, the global body that represents professional footballers, reached an agreement with FIFA last year for mandatory 21-day rest periods at the end of each season.
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Alongside Messi and De Paul, Mbekezeli Mbokazi and golden boot leader Hugo Cuypers have also been excused, the latter because of his transfer to Monterrey.
The quartet were replaced by Inter Miami’s Yannick Bright, the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andrés Cubas, Houston Dynamo’s Guilherme and the Chicago Fire’s Philip Zinckernagel.
The likes of Son Heung-Min, Thomas Müller and Tim Ream are set to play in the match, which will be played against the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina.
