Lionel Messi will miss the 2026 MLS All Star Game for a second year running, but unlike last summer, his absence will not cost him a suspension.
Messi is one of four players MLS replaced in its All Star squad on Saturday, alongside Golden Boot leader Hugo Cuypers, who has since transferred to Monterrey, Rodrigo De Paul and Mbekezeli Mbokazi. Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Andres Cubas, Houston Dynamo forward Guilherme and Chicago Fire forward Philip Zinckernagel have been drafted in as replacements. A fifth change could yet follow, with Vancouver defender Sebastian Berhalter reportedly closing in on a move to Middlesbrough.
The fixture, to be played on Wednesday night against a Liga MX All Star selection at Charlotte FC’s Bank of America Stadium, will lean on Son Heung Min and Thomas Muller for star power in Messi’s absence, alongside United States World Cup players Matt Freese, Tim Ream and Max Arfsten. Croatian World Cup striker Petar Musa and rising American talents Julian Hall and Zavier Gozo round out a squad missing the league’s biggest name.
Messi’s situation last year was rather different. Under MLS rules, any player who skips the All Star Game without an injury faces an automatic one match suspension. Messi and then teammate Jordi Alba, in the middle of a hectic summer that included a run to the FIFA Club World Cup, skipped the event in Austin and were both suspended, a decision Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas branded “draconian” at the time.
This year’s World Cup has changed the calculation. Messi and De Paul reached the final with Argentina on 19 July, and MLS has built in flexibility for players returning from deep tournament runs. Both have already missed Inter Miami’s midweek win over Chicago Fire and will also sit out Saturday’s game against CF Montreal as they recover.
“Prior to the start of the 2026 season, Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Association agreed that upon a player’s exit from the World Cup competition, clubs would have individual conversations with each player to determine the appropriate rest and return to training and competition timeline,” the league said in a statement. “Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All Star Game.”
MLS will face a Liga MX select side for the fifth time in six years, with five of Mexico’s stars from the World Cup involved, Gilberto Mora, Erik Lira, Jesus Gallardo, Armando Gonzalez and former US international Brian Gutierrez. Another ex US international turned Mexico player, Richy Ledezma, will also feature, alongside veteran Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
MLS’s updated squad following Saturday’s changes reads as follows.
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Matt Freese, Brian Schwake.
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Lucas Herrington, Richie Laryea, Anthony Markanich, Steven Moreira, Daniel Munie, Andy Najar, Jackson Ragen, Tim Ream.
Midfielders: Sebastian Berhalter, Pep Biel, Yannick Bright, Andres Cubas, Evander, Carles Gil, Zavier Gozo, Hany Mukhtar, Thomas Muller, Ashley Westwood.
Forwards: Anders Dreyer, Guilherme, Julian Hall, Son Heung Min, Petar Musa, Sam Surridge, Philip Zinckernagel.
