Lionel Messi has been the most visible superstar in Major League Soccer since joining American club Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, and as such his surprise absence from the 2025 MLS All-Star game came as a shock.

Stevie Nicol backs Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba's decision to skip the MLS All-star game as the pair face a one-match ban for their absence.

AUSTIN, Texas — Lionel Messi will miss the Major League Soccer All-Star Game against Liga MX on Wednesday night. An MLS spokesperson said Inter Miami informed league officials that the two players will not appear in the match at Q2 Stadium.

In a few days, the annual MLS All-Star Game will take place at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. Star players from across the MLS will take on Liga MX. Inter Miami's Lionel Messi is supposed to be one of them.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will not play in the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, MLS announced Wednesday. They were the vote leaders at their positions.

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has had himself a busy summer between national team duties, the Club World Cup and regular season MLS matches. But he remains the biggest star in MLS, so it makes plenty of sense to expect to watch Messi at Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game.

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.