“Messi is expected to play only about 1 match against Inter Miami after recovering from the right ankle ligament injury from the Copa America final, to re-evaluate his condition. 

After that, he will return to the Argentina team to play the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America in September,” said journalist Gaston Edul of TyC Sports.

In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, after winning the Copa America for the second consecutive time, 

the Argentina team will have a match against Chile in Buenos Aires (at 7:00 a.m. on September 6) 

and against Colombia away at 3:30 a.m. on September 11 (both Vietnam time).

In which, the match against Colombia will be a replay of the Copa America final on July 15 in the US. 

The match against Chile at Monumental Stadium will have a ceremony to honor veteran striker Di Maria who has retired from international football. Di Maria is a close friend of Messi, so the 37-year-old player has confirmed that he will return to compete, according to journalist Gaston Edul.

“Di Maria is currently injured while playing for Benfica. But he has confirmed that he will return to the Argentina national team during the FIFA Days in September just to attend the ceremony. He will definitely not play a single minute, after making the decision to officially retire from international football after the Copa America final,” Gaston Edul shared.

Meanwhile, the fact that Messi has not yet returned to training to prepare for the competition has greatly affected Inter Miami when they were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup. Before that, Messi and his teammates also stopped in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, according to the Miami Herald (USA).

Up to now, Messi has been absent from Inter Miami for a total of 11 matches since June 1. Inter Miami will next host FC Cincinnati at home at 6:30 a.m. on August 25 in the MLS, but it is unclear whether Messi will be able to return in time.

According to information from the Argentine press, Messi will likely only play one match with Inter Miami before joining the national team. So the most realistic possibility is that the 37-year-old will return in the away match against Chicago Fire FC at 7:30 a.m. on September 1.

After this match, the MLS will have a break of about 2 weeks to make way for the FIFA Days schedule, which will coincide with Messi’s return to the Argentine national team.

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Source: USA Today