Why isn’t Lionel Messi starting for Argentina against Iceland in last pre-World Cup friendly?

Argentina faces Iceland on Tuesday, June 10, in the Albiceleste‘s final pre-tournament tune-up at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Fans hoping to see Lionel Messi in the starting lineup will have to wait, as the legendary forward has once again been named among the substitutes.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni made the decision to hold Messi back from the start as a precautionary measure, not because of any remaining physical issue, but to avoid any unnecessary risk with the World Cup opener just one week away. Despite the conservative approach, Scaloni confirmed that Messi will see action off the bench.

At Monday’s press conference, Scaloni addressed the situation directly. “He is going to play; what I don’t know is how many minutes. I still have to speak with him, we still have today’s training session. We will see how many minutes to avoid taking any kind of risk, and we will decide then. But in principle, yes, he will get minutes,” Scaloni said.

Messi had also been kept on the bench for the Honduras friendly on June 6, when he was not yet fully recovered from the muscular fatigue that had sidelined him late in the MLS season. With Argentina’s World Cup debut against Algeria set for June 16, the priority is ensuring the captain arrives at that game at full capacity.

Scaloni betting on youth

With Messi held back, Scaloni has used the Iceland game as an opportunity to rotate the lineup and give younger players a meaningful audition, particularly in the midfield and attacking positions. Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios and Valentin Barco are set to cover the midfield, with Giuliano Simeone expected to operate on one of the flanks.

In the forward positions, with Julian Alvarez still unavailable and both Lautaro Martinez and Messi waiting on the bench, Scaloni has placed his trust in two of the squad’s youngest attacking options. Nico Paz will operate in a creative role similar to the one typically occupied by Messi, behind central striker Jose Manuel Lopez, who is set for his fifth Argentina appearance in an attacking combination that has not been seen before.

Scaloni has made clear that Tuesday’s match will serve as the final audition before the official 26-man World Cup roster is confirmed, making it a decisive opportunity for those still on the fringes of the squad. Leonardo Balerdi’s replacement has yet to be officially announced, though Guido Rodríguez is the frontrunner for that spot, while the fitness of several other players continues to keep the door open for last-minute changes.