Messi's potential absence could lead to him receiving a one-game suspension for Inter Miami in accordance with MLS rules. A similar situation arose for Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in 2018, during his time at LA Galaxy. The Swedish star prioritised club matches over that year's MLS All-Stars game and had to serve a ban in their next league clash.

News broke last week that Messi wouldn’t participate in the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge the night before the actual game. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, July 24. Less than 48 hours until kickoff, Messi still hasn’t been spotted in Austin—the host city for the match.

MLS All-Star Game takes place tonight in Austin, Texas, and all the attention is in Lionel Messi. Here's what to know about his status for the match.