With the 2026 MLS season already underway, questions are being raised about when Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will play his next game. Lionel Messi is still making history at 38 years old, remaining a cornerstone and captain for both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. With the 2026 Major League Soccer season now underway, fans are wondering when they’ll see the forward back in action. Lionel Messi’s next match with Inter Miami is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, when the Herons visit the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field for the 2026 MLS. The Argentine star heads to the game after selivering an assist in the 2-2 draw against Atlanta United As for his next game with Argentina, there is no game scheduled yet, but the next matchups will be in the upcoming extended international break in September-October. Still, Lionel Messi has already announced his retirement from the national team, marking the end of an era at the Albiceleste. During the World Cup, Messi featured in all eight matches for Argentina scoring eigth goals to cement his legacy as the second all-time top scorer in the torunament with 21 career World Cup goals. As for the 2026 MLS campaign, Messi has featured in 20 official matches so far across all competitions for Inter Miami, scoring 18 goals with 10 assist registered thus far. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during the MLS match against LAFC. Lionel Messi and the task of defending the World Cup title The year 2026 will be especially significant for Messi, not only because of Inter Miami’s ambitions but also because he’ll head into the 2026 World Cup aiming to defend the title. The triumph in Qatar in 2022 marked one of the defining peaks of his career, and now in North America he’ll enter another tournament wearing the champions’ badge for the first time. Drawn into Group J, Argentina will open its campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The second match will be against Austria on Monday the 22nd in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, before closing the group stage against Jordan on Saturday the 27th, also in Texas. The Argentina FA has announced that the national team will base itself in Kansas City during the tournament, though training facilities have yet to be confirmed. Expected to be his final World Cup appearance, Messi will have a chance to add to his record haul with a squad coached by Lionel Scaloni that remains one of the strongest in international soccer after winning the last World Cup and back-to-back Copa América titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo's dream to claim the 2026 World Cup with Portugal has begun, currently at the Round of 32. Cristiano Ronaldo, even at 41 years old, remains a central figure for both his club, Al Nassr, and the Portugal national team. Still drawing global attention, the key question now is when the legendary striker will take the field again. Cristiano Ronaldo’s next game with Al Nassr is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, when they host Abha for Matchday 6 in the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League at Al Awwal Park. The Portuguese star heads to the game after suffering the first defeat of the season against Al Ittihad 2-1. The icon’s 2026-27 international campaign with Portugal following the 2026 World Cup is set to begin on Thursday, September 24, when they host Wales for Matchday 1 of the of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. The forward’s last World Cup game came on July 6th, where Spain beat the Selecao in the Round of 16 with a narrow 1-0 win. In the 2026-27 season, which he has stated could be his last one as professional soccer player, the Portuguese icon scored 2 goals and provided 0 assists in 4 games for Al Nassr, while netting 5 goals in 5 UEFA World Cup qualifiers and 3 in the 2026 World Cup for Portugal, with his personal account in 978 career goals. Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal celebrates scoring a goal. Ronaldo faced long break due to FIFA schedule After his stunning bicycle-kick goal against Al Khaleej, Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for Al Nassr’s midweek AFC Champions League Two match. But from that point forward, the Portuguese star endured a 24-day gap without competitive action, a result of the upcoming FIFA competition schedule. From December 1 through 18, Qatar hosted the second edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, with the final between Morocco and Jordan played at Lusail Stadium, the same venue as the 2022 World Cup final. With several Saudi Pro League players involved, including stars of the Saudi Arabian national team, clubs, including Al Nassr, were unable to meet domestic player requirements, forcing the SPL into a temporary pause during the tournament.
Enzo Maresca believes Manchester City now have the midfield depth required to compete seriously on all fronts, with the Italian pointing to Arsenal as an example of why elite clubs need multiple high-level options. City spent heavily rebuilding their midfield this summer, adding Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi after the departures of several […] The post Enzo Maresca highlights Man City midfield depth in Arsenal title race appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Hull entered the third round of fixtures as one of only four Premier League clubs with a 100% record after two games. The majority of Hull's attacks on Saturday went through Mohamed Belloumi on the right wing and he almost gifted a third win from as many matches to the Tigers here with a stunning effort. The Algerian winger, 24, has shown in the opening weeks he has the quality to make an impact in the Premier League after starring in their promotion campaign.
After last week's shock defeat at Eleversberg, Bayer Leverkusen - and their new coach, Carles Martínez - were in desperate need of a morale boost in front of their home fans. And they got just that, as Ibrahim Maza, as well as the summer signings of Facundo Medina and Miguel Gutiérrez, helped propel Die Werkself to an authoritative 4-0 triumph over Union Berlin at the BayArena.
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