Why Lionel Messi won’t play in the 2025 MLS All-Star Game: Reasons revealed by reports

This Wednesday, the 2025 MLS All-Star Game will take place, featuring the best players from Major League Soccer facing off against the top stars from Liga MX. Lionel Messi was initially included in the roster and was even a candidate to wear the captain’s armband—which will ultimately go to Evander. However, it has now been confirmed that Messi will not participate. So, why won’t the Argentine legend feature in the All-Star Game? Here’s what we know.

The No. 10 will be resting after a grueling stretch of matches with both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, according ESPN. Over the past few weeks, Messi has played in the Club World Cup, MLS regular season, and CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers—all in a condensed time frame.

Messi has played five matches in just 14 days: a 4–1 win over CF Montréal (July 5), a 2–1 victory against New England Revolution (July 9), another 2–1 win over Nashville SC (July 12), a 0–3 loss to FC Cincinnati (July 16), and a 5–1 rout of New York Red Bulls (July 19). Given this packed schedule, his absence from the All-Star Game is understandable.

In total, Messi has played 17 consecutive matches at full-time, with the only exception being Argentina’s 1–0 win over Chile, in which he came off the bench.

Adding to this, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano recently admitted that Messi played through discomfort during the historic win over Porto at the Club World Cup. Despite the issue, Messi played every minute of that tournament (four full games).

Although he’s not currently injured, the decision to sit out the All-Star Game is a precautionary measure to avoid any setbacks and ensure he’s fit for what lies ahead—namely, this Saturday’s MLS match against Cincinnati and the Leagues Cup game against Atlas next Wednesday.

When and how to watch the 2025 MLS All-Star Game live

The All-Star matchup between Liga MX and MLS will be played on Wednesday, July 23, at 9:00 PM ET at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. Fans can watch the game live and free through the Apple TV MLS Season Pass.