Lionel Messi will not be required to play in next week's Major League Soccer All-Star Game after representing Argentina in the recent World Cup final, the US domestic league said Saturday. "Consistent with that agreement, Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi will be excused from participating in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game." AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementFellow Argentine De Paul also featured in last Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey, which Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time. Last year, Messi and then-Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were slapped with a one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game at the last minute. AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementMLS commissioner Don Garber at the time expressed sympathy for Messi's grueling schedule, saying it had been a "very difficult decision" and that the league's long-standing All-Star Game policy would be reviewed.