00:00Injured Messi to Miss Argentina's FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
00:03Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026
00:08after suffering a groin strain in Inter Miami's victory over Atlanta at the weekend,
00:12his club has confirmed. Inter Miami said in a statement on Monday that a scan had revealed
00:17Messi suffered a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle in the 2-1 win on Sunday.
00:21The statement gave no timetable for Messi's return. His clinical progress and response
00:26to treatment will determine his availability for competition, Inter said.
00:30After missing three games for Inter earlier this month, the 37-year-old returned with a
00:34goal off the bench in a CONCACAF Champions Cup win. Messi has been left out of Argentina's squad
00:39for the world champions clash against Uruguay on Friday, which is followed by a showdown
00:43with Brazil on March 25. Argentina can ensure qualification for next year's tournament in
00:48their next two games. They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group by five points ahead
00:53of the game with Uruguay in Montevideo. The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup in
00:58United States, Mexico, and Canada. After 12 rounds, Messi is the top scorer in the competition with
01:04six goals. Argentina are also without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate fullback
01:09Paulo Montiel. Brazil will be without 33-year-old Neymar, who has suffered a thigh injury and has had
01:15to postpone his return to the national team. Brazil are fifth, seven points behind Argentina.
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