Argentina Make Lionel Messi Decision Before Iceland Friendly

Argentina will face Iceland in its final friendly match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Lionel Scaloni's side heads into the game after a comfortable victory over Honduras as they complete their preparations for the tournament.

The defending world champions have been drawn in Group J alongside Algeria, Jordan and Austria.

Argentina will be aiming to begin their title defence on a positive note after another strong qualifying and preparation campaign.

Much of the attention remains on Lionel Messi, who is expected to play in what could be his final FIFA World Cup.

At 38, the Inter Miami captain continues to be one of the most important players in the squad and remains central to Argentina's plans.

Messi arrived at the national team camp after dealing with an injury suffered during an MLS match. Reports indicated that he was experiencing muscle fatigue in his left hamstring before joining up with his international teammates.

Although Messi was included among the substitutes for Argentina's friendly against Honduras, he did not feature in the match. His absence from the field has led to questions about his availability ahead of the World Cup and the upcoming game against Iceland.

Scaloni Gives Lionel Messi Update

Addressing concerns over Messi's fitness, Lionel Scaloni provided an update on the forward's condition and availability ahead of the team's final World Cup warm-up match.

The 48-year-old confirmed that Messi is set to play against Iceland, but said the coaching staff will carefully manage his time on the pitch.

"Messi will play, I just don't know how many minutes," Scaloni said.

The Argentina manager explained that a final decision would be made after speaking with the forward and assessing him in training.

"I still need to talk to him in today's training and we will see how many minutes he plays to avoid any type of risks. We will decide, but in principle he will play."

Scaloni also revealed that Argentina plan to manage the playing time of several squad members as they approach the start of the World Cup.

"We're going to distribute the minutes of the players who will play tomorrow to try to avoid any mishaps."

Argentina takes on Iceland tonight with the match kicking off at 9:00 PM EDT.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM.