Messi, Argentina to play Ecuador in 2026 World Cup qualifying ...

Lionel Messi is back on the pitch tonight and Argentina’s World Cup title defense begins.

Messi – the 2022 World Cup champion and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner – joins Argentina's national team to kick off 2026 World Cup qualifying with a match against Ecuador.

The game will kickoff at 8 p.m. ET at the Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Messi is off to an incredible start with MLS team Inter Miami, scoring 11 goals in 11 games since joining David Beckham’s club.

Now, he rejoins Argentina to begin the road to the biggest World Cup ever, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and has an expanded 48-team format.

How to watch Messi, Argentina vs. Ecuador? TV, stream online

The match between Argentina and Ecuador will be broadcast on Telemundo in the United States.

A live stream is also available on ViX.

How many games will Messi play with Argentina?

Messi will be with the Argentine national team for two games in World Cup qualifying this month.

After the Ecuador match, Messi will remain with Argentina for its second qualifying match against Bolivia Sept. 12 at the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, Bolivia.

How many Inter Miami games will Messi miss?

Messi will miss Saturday’s Inter Miami game against Sporting Kansas City at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Messi’s participation in both Argentina games could impact his availability for Inter Miami’s match against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sept. 16.

Messi’s last time out with Argentina

Messi was spectacular, scoring two goals and his penalty kick, to help Argentina outduel France 3-3 (4-2 penalty kicks) in the 2022 World Cup final last December.

In perhaps the greatest World Cup final, Messi was able to help Argentina outlast France star Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick to become world champions.

Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the best player in the tournament.

Will Messi play for Argentina again in the World Cup?

It’s unclear whether Messi, 36, will play for Argentina in the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup or will retire from national team competition before then.

“Even I don't know when. It’ll happen when it happens,” Messi said when asked about retiring during an interview broadcast on Argentine television in July. “After winning everything I want to enjoy the moment and wait for time to tell me when it's the moment.

"Logically, given my age, one would expect it to be soon, but I don't know for sure.”

While Messi’s World Cup final was expected to be his last World Cup game, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni could leave a roster spot open for the country’s biggest star.

“I think Messi can get to the next World Cup,” Scaloni said in January to Spanish radio Calvia FM. “It will depend a lot on what he wants, on whether he feels good. The door will always be open. He is happy on the pitch and it would be very nice for us.”

How will Argentina fare in 2026 World Cup qualifying?

Argentina is expected to reach the World Cup again.

Due to the World Cup expansion for 2026, six South American teams will qualify directly for the World Cup. A seventh team will play in the FIFA playoff tournament.

How has Messi’s life changed since his World Cup win?

After winning the World Cup, Messi helped Paris Saint-Germain win back-to-back French Ligue 1 titles, but the club was eliminated in the Champions League Round of 16 in March.

Messi’s final game with PSG was in June, and he decided to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami club in the MLS in late July.

“I chose to come here. I wanted to come here. And it’s a decision we made with time. It wasn’t something we decided one day to the next. We are where we want to be. It’s a decision we made. That makes everything much easier and simpler,” Messi said during an Inter Miami press conference Aug. 17.

“When I went to Paris, it wasn’t something I wanted. I didn’t want to leave Barcelona. In some ways, it was one day to the next. I had to adapt to somewhere completely different from where I lived all my life. But that’s totally different from my experience here.”

How has Messi performed with Inter Miami?

Messi’s worldwide stardom has been on full display in his first 11 games with Inter Miami.

Messi has scored in eight games, and had two assists in two other victories. Inter Miami has a 10-1-0 (win-draw-loss) record with Messi since late July.

Messi helped Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup title on Aug. 19, and the club will play against the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 27.

But in the MLS playoff race, Inter Miami is in a climb, eight points behind ninth-place D.C. United in the Eastern Conference.