FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi is expected to play for Argentina against Puerto Rico at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Argentina and the game’s promoter announced on Monday, Oct. 13.
The match marks a unique occasion in Messi’s career: He will play for his beloved national team at his Major League Soccer stadium.
It’s unclear if Messi will play the entire match with Inter Miami’s regular-season finale on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Nashville SC.
“We’re going to see if he’s fit to play from the start or for a few minutes. I think he’ll get those minutes, but I couldn’t say how many,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni in a press conference. “What I can say is that we’ll definitely see him so that everyone can enjoy watching him.”
Argentine media reported the change was made due to ongoing ICE protests in the Chicago area, while Chicago Park District spokesman Luca Serra told the Associated Press on Oct. 8: “The promoter made the decision this morning due to low ticket sales.”
VMG Sports posted a social media video Monday of Messi meeting CEO Javier Fernandez with the caption: “The greatest of all time, Lionel Messi, confirms his attendance for the historic match between Argentina and Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium.”
The video was filmed on Sunday, Oct. 12, as Messi returned to practice with the national team – one day after he played with Inter Miami.
Messi announced he would play in the Inter Miami match with an Instagram story post around noon before the 7:30 p.m. ET start time on Saturday, Oct. 11. He scored two goals with an assist in Inter Miami’s 4-0 win against Atlanta United to help his club move into third place in the MLS Eastern Conference. With 26 goals this MLS season, Messi is the leader for the league’s Golden Boot award.
Messi did not play in Argentina’s match against Venezuela on Friday, Oct. 10, at nearby Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. He attended the match with his wife and children as they sat in a stadium suite. There was no Instagram announcement from Messi, but Argentina announced he wouldn’t play about 2 ½ hours before the 8 p.m. ET match.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was unable to say whether Messi would play against Atlanta, when speaking to reporters one day prior – on the day of Argentina-Venezuela match.
Scaloni did not declare if Messi would play one day prior to the Venezuela match, indicating he wanted to test other players on his roster.
“It’s simple. [Friday] before the match, I spoke with Scaloni, and he told me he wouldn’t use him. Then, I spoke with Leo, and there’s not much more to it,” Mascherano said after the Atlanta match.
Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, has spent the last week at Inter Miami’s training facility and stayed at a nearby Fort Lauderdale hotel during this FIFA international window, during which friendlies offered opportunities for Scaloni to finetune his roster for the 2026 World Cup.
Messi trained with the national team during night practices. He did not practice with Inter Miami, which practices in the mornings.
Messi, 38, has not yet declared if he will play in the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.