Inter Miami to miss Messi and De Paul for two MLS games

Inter Miami will be without star players Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul for its next two Major League Soccer matches, and the pair is also expected to miss the MLS All-Star Game later this month, as the club manages their return following Argentina’s run to the World Cup final. The club has informed the league that the two internationals will not be available for the home match against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, July 22, or the road fixture against CF Montréal on Saturday, July 25.

The decision is based on player welfare protocols agreed upon by FIFA and global players’ union FIFPRO, which recommend a 21-day rest period at the end of a season and a minimum 72-hour gap between matches. Argentina concluded its World Cup campaign with a 1-0 loss to Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium. Messi started and played every minute of Argentina’s eight tournament matches, finishing as one of the tournament’s top scorers with eight goals.

Their absence extends to the MLS All-Star Game scheduled for July 29 in Charlotte, where both players had been selected. Messi has yet to participate in an MLS All-Star event, having also skipped the 2025 edition, which resulted...