Argentina will have the chance to start their World Cup qualifying campaign with back-to-back victories when they travel to La Paz for Tuesday's clash with Bolivia but the World champions will have to deal with the challenging altitude and the prospect of playing the game without their captain Lionel Messi.

After a dazzling start to his career in Major League Soccer, Lionel Messi returns to international duty with Argentina this week as South America's long qualifying road to the 2026 World Cup kicks off today.

Former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal alleged that the World Cup 2022 in Qatar was staged to see Lionel Messi’s Argentina win the trophy. 

High school students in Argentina pieced together a massive mural of soccer superstar Leonel Messi out of thousands of recycled plastic bottle caps, with a video of the work of art shared widely online.

Inter Miami delivered the most impressive win of their Lionel Messi era, 3-1 at Major League Soccer champions Los Angeles FC on Sunday, with two assists from the Argentine boosting their playoff hopes.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami face the MLS champions as their bid to make the playoffs takes them to Los Angeles on Sunday.

Spain defender Jordi Alba has retired from international football, the Spanish football federation said Friday.

Striking workers at a Los Angeles hotel have appealed to Inter Miami and their captain Lionel Messi to stay away from their establishment when the team arrive for a match against LAFC on Sunday.

More than what was happening out there on the field at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday, fans were concerned about just one thing -- at least till the 60th minute of the game between Inter Miami and hosts New York Red Bulls.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has hinted that Lionel Messi may not start Saturday's Major League Soccer clash at the New York Red Bulls.

Miami trailed 2-0 with 22 minutes left before Messi whipped in a free-kick from the left which was headed home by Leonardo Campana

"I'm not thinking about it (retirement) yet, to be honest. I like to play, I enjoy being with a ball on the field, competing, training," said the seven-times Ballon d'Or winner in an interview with Apple TV+.

Messi overtook former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves who had won 43 trophies in his career.

Lionel Messi could clinch his first trophy with Inter Miami, just four weeks after making his debut for the club, when his team face Nashville in the final of the Leagues Cup in Tennessee on Saturday.

Lionel Messi said Thursday he has refound happiness since joining Inter Miami, describing his move to Major League Soccer as the "opposite" of his transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

Lionel Messi has won just about everything there is to win in soccer but said on Thursday that bringing Inter Miami their first ever trophy would be "incredible" and "a beautiful thing".

Argentina superstar Messi took his tally to nine goals in six appearances for Miami in an entertaining semi-final at Philadelphia's Subaru Park.

Messi scored in his third consecutive match for Inter in a 3-1 victory over Orlando City last week, helping them move into the last 16 of the tournament.

A trademark curling free-kick in the 85th minute, Messi's seventh goal in his fourth game for Miami, took the game to the shootout after Miami had trailed 4-2 with 10 minutes to go.

Both finishes came from close range from the Argentine who made it three wins out of three at a team which was winless in 11 league games before his arrival.