Argentina vs. Uruguay: How much will Lionel Messi play in World Cup qualifying match?
Lionel Messi has rejoined the Argentine national team for two more qualifying matches to help the defending champions reach the 2026 World Cup.
Messi, who last played in a friendly with Inter Miami last Friday, is expected to play when Argentina hosts Uruguay on Thursday night.
The match begins at 7 p.m. ET inside Estadio La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentina and Uruguay sit atop the CONMEBOL standings, with the defending World Cup champions holding 12 points, while Uruguay is tied with Brazil and Venezuela with seven points.
It will be Messi’s first match with Argentina since his dominant return from a leg injury last month, where he had two goals to beat Peru 2-0 on Oct. 17.
How to watch Argentina vs. Uruguay in the U.S.?
The match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast by Telemundo and livestreamed on FuboTV, DirecTV Stream and ViX.
Messi misses in 13’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0
Messi’s first shot in this match game in the 13th minute, after a defense by Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera.
Messi was able to shake Olivera, but his left boot from about 30 yards out was saved by Uruguay’s goalie Sergio Rochet.
Darwin Nunez misses shot in 10’: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0
Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez missed on his side’s first shot on goal in the match.
Nunez tried to squeeze it into the far-left side of the net with a right boot, but his shot was wide.
One minute later, Uruguay again charged toward the Argentina’s net but was stopped by the goalie.
Messi gets taken down in first minute: Argentina 0, Uruguay 0
The action started early for Leo Messi, who was taken down by Darwin Nunez in the first minute of the match.
Messi appeared to be in pain after the sequence, favoring his leg, but he got back to his feet.
The play led to a free kick in the second minute, which Messi did not take despite lining up for it.
Rodrigo De Paul kicked it into the box, and Uruguay quickly ended any chance with a good defense in the goal area.
Messi and Luis Suarez meet before Argentina, Uruguay match
Future teammates?
Leo Messi and Luis Suarez, who will reportedly sign with Inter Miami for next season, met each other for a hug before tonight’s match between Argentina and Uruguay.
How much will Messi play against Uruguay?
Messi is likely to start, and play the entire match against Uruguay tonight.
Messi is healthy again after a leg injury in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match on Sept. 7. The injury caused Messi to miss Argentina’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on Sept. 12 and six matches with Inter Miami in September.
“Messi is fine, he is doing well,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said in a news conference on Thursday. “Beyond the fact that he played a game in the last 25 days, he has been training normally, he is in good condition and he is fine.”
How has Messi performed in recent matches?
Messi played the entire match in each of his last three appearances.
Messi appeared quite rusty in Inter Miami’s friendly last Friday, his first match in nearly three weeks after the MLS regular season ended (Inter Miami did not qualify for the MLS playoffs). He missed all his shots as Inter Miami lost 2-1 to New York City FC, on a night where Messi presented his eighth Ballon d’Or award to Inter Miami fans.
Messi had a goal negated because he was offsides, and a free kick was deflected off the crossbar in Inter Miami’s season finale loss to Charlotte FC 1-0 on Oct. 21.
Messi shined brightly and appeared 100 percent healthy in his last match with Argentina, scoring in the 32nd and 42nd minutes in a 2-0 win over Peru on Oct. 17.