MLS changed tack on Messi: from sanctioning him to a 2026 All-Star pass | OneFootball

The story between Lionel Messi and the MLS All-Star Game added a new chapter. Unlike the tense episode in 2025, when the league strictly enforced its rules and sanctioned the Argentine star, the organization confirmed that the Inter Miami captain will not take part in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, but this time under a previously agreed institutional framework and without any disciplinary repercussions.

In July 2025, the clash between scheduling demands and league rules sparked major controversy. At that time, Lionel Messi and his teammate Jordi Alba decided not to attend the All-Star Game held in Austin after facing an exhausting run of matches between the domestic league and the Herons’ participation in the Club World Cup.

Since the absence was reported only a few hours before the event and did not have a medical exemption or prior approval from the authorities, MLS applied its longstanding policy: suspending for one official match any called-up player who misses the All-Star Game without an approved reason.

That sanction prevented Messi and Alba from playing in the following match against FC Cincinnati. The decision caused discontent within the Inter Miami front office and fueled debate over the flexibility of the rules regarding rest and player care. League commissioner Don Garber even acknowledged after the incident the need to work with the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) to review and update the regulations.

The agreement between Messi and MLS for the 2026 All-Star Game

The lessons of 2025 paid off for the current season. Before the start of the 2026 campaign, MLS and the MLSPA agreed on a specific protocol to manage players’ physical workload after their participation in the World Cup.

The agreement states that, after a player’s elimination or departure from the World Cup tournament, each club has the authority to hold individual talks with the player to mutually determine their rest schedule and plan for returning to training and competition.

Under this agreed framework, the league office announced that both Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul were exempted from taking part in the exhibition match without incurring any kind of penalty.

Messi gets ready to return to the United States

The captain of the Argentine national team is currently spending his vacation in Rosario after returning from the United States following the 2026 World Cup. Inter Miami, which has already resumed official competition, is expecting him back in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the star has used his time off to watch a Leones de Rosario match, the club run by his brother, and is enjoying private family moments before returning to his routine.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.