Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul will not participate in the MLS All-Star Game 2026. Major League Soccer confirmed this Saturday that both Inter Miami players were exempt from the traditional all-star game after having played the 2026 World Cup until its final moments, a decision contemplated in a previous agreement between the league and the clubs.

The meeting, which will bring together figures from MLS and Liga MX, will be held next Wednesday at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, the absence of the two Argentines responds to the rest period planned for those who recently finished their participation in the World Cup.

The league explained that, before the start of the season, a mechanism was established so that players who arrived at the end of the World Cup could negotiate with their teams the recovery time and reintegration schedule.

“In line with this agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be exempt from participating in the 2026 MLS ‘All-Star’ Game,” MLS reported in a statement.

Both Messi and De Paul traveled to Argentina after concluding the World Cup tournament and this Saturday they were also not available for Inter Miami's match against Montreal, corresponding to the MLS regular season. So far, the club has not reported when they will return to activity.

A different background from that experienced in 2025

The situation differs from that which occurred the previous year. On that occasion, Messi and Jordi Alba were suspended for one game after not showing up for the All-Star, in the midst of a controversy between the MLS and Inter Miami. Both had just played in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Now, the absence of Messi and De Paul is supported by a previously defined agreement between the competition and the franchises, avoiding a similar sanction.

The MLS All-Star Game will pit an MLS team against another from Liga MX for the fifth time. The record favors the American team 3-1, although the Mexican championship obtained a resounding victory in the 2024 edition.

The activity will begin one day before the main duel with the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge 2026, scheduled for Tuesday, July 28 at Truist Field in Charlotte. That technical competition comes with the historical series tied 2-2 between both leagues.

Charlotte prepares for a week dedicated to soccer

The organization presented the event as a celebration of continental soccer just nine days after the 2026 World Cup final, highlighting the atmosphere that will be experienced in Charlotte and the prominence of the Latin community in the city.

In addition to the all-star game and the skills contest, the so-called All-Star Week will include community activities, celebrations for fans, appearances by soccer players and a new edition of the MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate, dedicated to the continent's promises.

Charlotte also comes to the event backed by the growth it has experienced since Charlotte FC's entry into the MLS in 2022. In its first home match it attracted 74,479 spectators, a record number for the franchise.

Since then, nearly three million fans have attended soccer events in Uptown Charlotte, including MLS matches, Leagues Cup, Copa América, Club World Cup and international friendlies.

The MLS highlighted that the Bank of America Stadium has become one of the main stages for the growth of soccer in the city and will once again host the confrontation between the figures of the MLS and the Liga MX, although this time without the presence of Lionel Messi or Rodrigo De Paul.