Argentina returned home from the 2026 World Cup without their captain. While the rest of the squad rode an open bus through flag-lined streets to the Lionel Andres Messi Training Center, Messi wasn't on the plane.
The AFA had flagged before the tournament ended that several players wouldn't be making the return trip together, and Messi was on that list. The reason is straightforward: he's due back with Inter Miami for the MLS season, and staying in the United States to prepare made more sense than flying home only to turn around again. He did eventually return to Argentina privately, arriving by jet, before his expected link-up with Miami in late July or early August.
A runner-up exit that stings
The backdrop matters here. Argentina didn't just lose — they were dethroned. Spain's La Roja won the 2026 World Cup final in New York, with substitute Forren Torres scoring the winner. The defending champions are now former champions, and Messi, despite finishing as the tournament's second-highest scorer, ends his World Cup career without lifting another trophy.
That's the version of events no one wanted to write.
The players who did return — Emiliano Martinez, Lisandro Martinez, Mac Allister, Otamendi, Lo Celso, and more than a dozen others — were met with the kind of reception that shows Argentine fans understand the difference between failure and heartbreak. Thousands gathered outside the AFA offices. The streets were packed.
What this means for Messi's Inter Miami season
From a betting perspective, Miami's MLS ambitions just got an early-season focal point. Messi arriving fresh off a World Cup campaign — one where he was still among the top scorers — isn't a player coming in ring-rusty. Whether that translates to MLS silverware is another question, but he won't be short of motivation.
Argentina, meanwhile, begin the rebuild. The 2026 cycle is closed. Messi is 39 by the time the next World Cup arrives — realistically, this was it for him on that stage.
