Lionel Messi has been the most visible superstar in Major League Soccer since joining American club Inter Miami in the summer of 2023.
Not only does he bring to the U.S. league his legendary pedigree and globally elevated visibility but also sheer talent. Messi helped Inter Miami to the club’s first two trophies in history, winning the Leagues Cup almost immediately after joining, before leading the Herons to the 2024 Supporters’ Shield as regular season champions.
He has shown no signs of slowing down in 2025, leading the league in scoring with 18 goals in 18 matches this season. Thus, it’s no surprise that Messi was selected to the MLS All-Star game this season, hoping to represent the league in its annual showcase match against Liga MX.
However, that would not come to pass as Messi’s foreboding absence the day before led to confirmed fears on Wednesday that the Argentine would not play in the All-Star game. Major League Soccer’s official roster for the game did not include Messi or his club teammate Jordi Alba, thus rendering him ineligible for the match, while an MLS spokesperson indicated he had not even made the trip to Austin.
The Sporting News explains why Messi may have decided not to participate, and what may come of the decision in the next few days.
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Why is Lionel Messi missing the MLS All-Star game?
Lionel Messi’s reason for skipping the 2025 MLS All-Star game is not definitively known, but there are a few sensible theories.
The most widely accepted (and reported) excuse for Messi to skip the All-Star game is simply to rest. Now 38 years old, Messi has had fitness concerns in the last few years which extensive minutes could exacerbate. With still months to go in the 2025 season, Messi has logged 2,481 minutes across all competitions for Inter Miami, playing the full 90 minutes in 26 of his 29 appearances this season while missing only four games.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Messi did not wish to risk a new injury or simply add to his minutes load by playing in the league’s midseason exhibition match.
Another reason he is skipping the game could be due to injury, but nothing has been reported in that regard.
Messi could be suspended for missing 2025 MLS All-Star game
According to MLS regulations, any player named to the MLS All-Star team who opts not to participate in the match is required to sit out his club’s next game. Thus, as it stands, Mess is suspended for Inter Miami’s next match, which comes on Saturday, July 26 at home against FC Cincinnati.
The rule is meant to be a deterrent for selected players simply skipping the exhibition match to rest, which would likely leave the league with very few actual participants and a significant number of replacements required, diminishing the effectiveness of the event.
It would represent not just a blow for Inter Miami in a critical match against the Eastern Conference leaders, but also for MLS, as the weekend match was selected to be broadcast live on national television. Certainly, Fox Sports will also be perturbed about their product on FS1 seeing Messi miss out, and will surely have concerns about this situation given their partnership with MLS.
However, there is a potential out for both him and teammate Jordi Alba. If a player has a medical excuse for being absent, such as an injury, the player is allowed to miss the game without retribution.
Thus, if MLS declares that Messi or Alba’s absence is down to fitness concerns, he could still theoretically play for Inter Miami on the weekend.
The optics of that, however, would be dire. Messi sitting out the All-Star game only to play for his club three days later would render any claims of a fitness issue difficult for fans to take seriously, and could indicate a willingness by Major League Soccer to allow Messi to bend the league’s rules at his will.
