Messi Returns From Injury to Score as Argentina Beat Iceland in Final Warm-Up

Lionel Messi came off the bench to score a penalty in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Iceland on June 9 — the defending champions' final warm-up ahead of the 2026 World Cup — in front of 88,044 supporters at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The result and Messi's cameo appearance gave Lionel Scaloni's side a confident send-off before their Group J opener against Algeria on June 16.

Messi had been absent for roughly 16 days due to muscle overload in his left hamstring, according to ESPN, making his return all the more watched. He entered the game as a substitute and converted a penalty in the 72nd minute, taking his international goal tally to 117 for Argentina. That strike also made him the oldest scorer in Argentina's senior international history, according to ESPN's reporting on the match.

The warm-up result capped a preparation period in which Scaloni has kept the same settled core that won the 2022 title, blending veterans such as Lautaro Martínez with newer squad members. The near-capacity crowd in Alabama — Jordan-Hare Stadium holds just over 88,000 — underlined the appetite for the tournament among American supporters, even for a friendly involving the defending champions.

Iceland, who did not qualify for the expanded 48-team tournament, provided the opposition. The match will be remembered primarily for the atmosphere and for the reassurance that Argentina's talisman is fit and scoring ahead of the group stage.

The reigning champions face Algeria in Group J on June 16, with Austria and Jordan also in the pool. A second successive world title would make Argentina the first nation to go back-to-back since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Sources: ESPN — Lionel Messi scores in return as Argentina look to World Cup