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Lionel Messi will be absent from this week's MLS All-Star game in Charlotte, skipping the event for the third consecutive year despite being included on the roster in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Messi, along with his Argentina and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, were among four roster changes revealed on Saturday. A fifth adjustment is also on the horizon, as U.S. men's national team World Cup player Sebastian Berhalter is set to transfer to EFL Championship club Middlesbrough from the Vancouver Whitecaps this summer.
Regardless, the Argentine football icon — who recently earned the Silver Boot and Silver Ball after scoring eight goals at the 2026 World Cup — will not face suspension from MLS this time, unlike the penalty he faced for his absence in 2025.
Under the rules of the global players' union FIFAPro, which grant players 21 days of recovery time between the conclusion of their World Cup campaign and their return to club football — along with a separate agreement between MLS and the MLS Players' Association — both Messi and De Paul were permitted to skip the league's showcase event without facing any disciplinary consequences.
"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. Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game," the league said in a statement on Saturday.
Even without the Argentine pair, the MLS All-Star roster is still expected to include nine players who featured in this summer's World Cup; however, unlike Messi and De Paul, none of them had matches within the last 21 days.
The MLS All-Stars are set to face the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday evening, with a Skills Challenge involving select players scheduled for Tuesday. Neither Messi nor De Paul were included in the technical competition.
Why Was Messi Suspended Last Year?
Messi was at the center of attention at last year's MLS All-Star game in Austin after he and now-retired teammate Jordi Alba officially withdrew from the festivities just hours before kickoff, despite being scheduled to appear in the match and take part in the Skills Challenge.
Both players were subsequently handed suspensions for Miami's first game following the All-Star break, in line with the MLS rule stating that any player who misses the All-Star game without an injury is subject to a one-match ban. In response to the league's decision, Inter Miami's managing owner Jorge Mas called the rule "draconian."
At that time, Inter Miami had just completed a run to the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup, where Messi and Alba played pivotal roles in putting the league on the global map, helping secure a Concacaf team's first competitive victory over a UEFA side with a group stage win against FC Porto.
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Then under the guidance of Javier Mascherano, the Argentine player-turned-coach acknowledged his desire for the squad to remain focused on MLS competition. That approach ultimately bore fruit, as Inter Miami went on to claim its first MLS Cup. Messi also won the Golden Boot and a second consecutive MLS MVP award.
While neither player faces suspension, both Messi and De Paul are expected to miss a number of matches following the All-Star game as they recover from the World Cup final defeat. The pair is not anticipated to rejoin Miami until August.