Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says captain Lionel Messi is making good progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury and could feature in one of the team's final warm-up matches before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Messi, who suffered a strain in his left hamstring during Inter Miami's last Major League Soccer match, had been considered doubtful for Argentina's pre-tournament friendlies against Honduras and Iceland.
Some reports also claimed that he may be forced to play a bit-part role at the tournament.
However, Scaloni provided an encouraging update on Friday.
“Leo is doing well, he has already trained partly with the group, he’s no longer completely separated,” Scaloni said.
“It’s possible he’ll play a few minutes in the friendlies.
"We’ll see whether that’s tomorrow’s game or the other one.”
Argentina face Honduras in Texas on Saturday before taking on Iceland in Alabama on Tuesday as they fine-tune preparations for the World Cup.
The defending champions begin their title defence against Algeria on 16th of June.
“He’s much better and that gives us peace of mind,” Scaloni added.
The coach also said Argentina's medical staff is carefully managing several injury concerns within the squad.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is expected to miss both friendlies after suffering a fractured finger, while defenders Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are recovering from muscle injuries.
Scaloni also revealed that midfielders Leandro Paredes and Julián Álvarez have been dealing with physical issues.
“The situation is improving,” he said.
“They’re fine, and we don’t want to risk them in these games.”
“For now everything is going quite well, and next week we’ll see,” Scaloni added, expressing optimism that Messi and several other key players will be fit for Argentina’s World Cup opener.
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