Lionel Messi loses key teammate for Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 opener

© Marcelo Endelli/Getty ImagesLionel Messi playing for the Argentina national team. Just over eight months remain until the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Argentina will arrive looking to defend the title they won in Qatar 2022, and having Lionel Messi and the rest of the squad’s stars available will be crucial. However, one important player won’t be on the field for the opening match of the tournament.On Tuesday, FIFA published a list of players still serving suspensions from the September international break, and Nicolas Otamendi was among them. The Benfica defender was sent off during the World Cup qualifier against Ecuador and received a one-match suspension, along with a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs (around $6,300).With South America’s World Cup qualifiers having ended last month, Otamendi no longer has the opportunity to serve the suspension during that competition. Under these circumstances, the Argentine defender will have to wait for the next official FIFA tournament to serve the ban.Argentina’s calendar includes four friendlies between October and November, which will wrap up their 2025 schedule. In March, they have one more friendly and, very likely, the Finalissima against Spain. That match, although official, won’t count toward fulfilling the suspension, as it is not a FIFA-organized tournament but rather co-hosted by UEFA and CONMEBOL.Nicolas Otamendi of Argentina.All of this leads to a tough consequence for Argentina: Otamendi will have no choice but to serve his one-match ban in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage. That’s in line with Article 9.2 of the FIFA regulations: “Pending match suspensions imposed as a result of a direct or an indirect red card in matches in the preliminary competition of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be carried over to the final competition.”see alsoBad news for Lionel Messi: Argentina star misses US October tour due to injurySimilar precedents to Otamendi’s caseNicolas Otamendi’s situation also applies to another South American star. Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo was also sent off in the same match between Ecuador and Argentina and will therefore miss his team’s opening game at the 2026 World Cup — a significant blow for Ecuador, considering the midfielder’s importance.Although rare, cases like these have occurred in previous tournaments. At the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil, several players missed their teams’ openers due to suspensions carried over from earlier matches that hadn’t yet been served.Freddy Guarin missed Colombia’s opener in that tournament against Greece, a game the South Americans won 3–0. The same happened with Mario Mandzukic, who was unavailable for Croatia’s World Cup opener against Brazil, a match they lost 3–1.Otamendi’s importance to ArgentinaLike Messi, Nicolas Otamendi announced back in September that he will not take part in the next World Cup cycle. That made the match against Ecuador his final appearance in South American qualifiers. Naturally, that also means the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will be the defender’s last major competition at international level.see alsoArgentina National Team TV ScheduleOtamendi will close out a successful run with Argentina that began in 2009 and included three World Cup appearances (South Africa 2010, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022). Over the last 16 years, the defender has collected four titles: the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2021 and 2024 Copa America tournaments, and the 2022 Finalissima.200+ Channels With Sports & NewsStarting price: $33/mo. for fubo Latino PackageWatch Premier League, Liga MX & Copa LibertadoresThe New Home of MLSPrice: $14.99/mo. for MLS Season PassWatch every MLS game including playoffs & Leagues CupMany Sports & ESPN OriginalsPrice: $10.99/mo. (or get ESPN+, Hulu & Disney+ for $14.99/mo.)Features Bundesliga, LaLiga, NWSL, & USL2,000+ soccer games per yearPrice: $7.99/moFeatures Champions League, Serie A, Europa League & EFL175 Premier League Games & PL TVStarting price: $7.99/mo. for Peacock PremiumWatch 175 exclusive EPL games per seasonArgentinaLionel MessiWorld Cup