Argentina, the reigning World Cup champion, is a favorite to defend its title next summer, when the 2026 World Cup is hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Albiceleste finished South American World Cup qualifying with a nine-point lead over second-place Ecuador atop the standings.

Lionel Messi has returned to training with Argentina ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Puerto Rico, following Inter Miami's game against Atlanta last Saturday.

Lionel Messi announced on Tuesday through his official Instagram account that he will organize the first edition of the Messi Cup this December in Miami, a youth

Messi, who had pushed to leave the club one year earlier only to be denied by the previous regime, conducted a tearful farewell press conference announcing his exit. It has now been revealed that the legendary forward was unimpressed with the board’s conduct at that time.

Argentina’s 1-0 win over Venezuela in a friendly didn’t feature Lionel Messi on the pitch, but he was in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium. La Pulga wasn’t part of the action by decision of the coach, Lionel Scaloni, though he did attend the match with his family to closely follow the game.

Both the Portuguese and Argentine strikers are in the spotlight after achieving historic records with their national teams during the FIFA window.

Years after the World Cup defeat against Lionel Messi's Argentina, Kylian Mbappé made an honest admission: "Argentina deserved to win."

Kylian Mbappé opened up about his time playing with Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain in a recent interview, reflecting on how “lucky” he was to call him a teammate.