South america

FIFA World Cup: Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has said that Lionel Messi will play as many minutes as possible in the opening two rounds of South America's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.

The 36-year-old has had a heavy schedule of matches for new club Inter Miami but is expected to start for the Albiceleste against Ecuador in Buenos Aires on Thursday, reports Xinhua.

"I spoke with him for a while yesterday and he made himself available," Scaloni told a news conference on Wednesday.