Last year, Inter Miami star Messi was penalized for missing the annual tournament, which gathers top players from the MLS against opponents from Mexico's Liga-MX league. According to MLS regulations, participation is usually mandatory, except in cases of injury.
But this year, the World Cup takes place in the middle of the MLS season, causing the tournament to be suspended for seven weeks, and the federation has confirmed that exceptions have been arranged in advance for players who participated in the recent World Cup.
Before the 2026 season begins, the Major League Soccer (MLS) and the MLS Players' Association have agreed that when a player is eliminated from the World Cup, clubs will have a private conversation with each player to determine the appropriate rest time and schedule for returning to training and competition," AFP quoted the MLS organizers as saying.
“Under that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be exempt from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game,” the statement added.
Messi and De Paul both participated in the 2026 World Cup final, where Argentina lost to Spain 0-1 after 120 minutes.
According to the initial plan, Messi was among the first 11 players selected for the MLS squad to participate in this year's All-Star match, taking place in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 29.
During his absence, stars who will fill in include Los Angeles FC's Son Heung-min, Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller and US national team captain Tim Ream, who currently plays for Charlotte.
Last year, Messi and his former teammate at Inter Miami, Jordi Alba, were banned from playing for one match for missing the All-Star match at the last minute.
At that time, MLS board member Don Garber expressed sympathy for Messi's tight schedule, saying that it was a "very difficult decision" and the league's long-standing policy on the All-Star match would be reconsidered.
However, billionaire Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami, said Messi is "very sad" about the suspension.
