World Cup Impact: USMNT Squad, Messi Injury, England Snubs

The 2026 World Cup is approaching, and as the club season ends, developments across the soccer world are already shaping the squads set to travel to the  United States ,  Canada  and  Mexico  this summer. Injuries and players performances can have a big impact on nations as managers make their final decisions about the rosters. Let's take a look at the five most interesting stories impacting the World Cup from the weekend.

Leo Messi not in doubt

There were some concerns regarding the injury of Leo Messi, as the Argentinian star appeared to grab at his hamstring before interim manager Guillermo Hoyos withdrew the Argentine number 10 for Mateo Silvetti and he walked straight into the tunnel. With only a few days left before kickoff, Inter Miami have issued a statement on Monday assessing the situation of the captain.

"After undergoing further medical tests this Monday, the initial diagnosis indicates an overload associated with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. The timeline for his return to physical activity will depend on his clinical and functional progress." Messi is expected to be fully fit ahead of the World Cup where Argentina will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group stage.

Lionel Messi injury: Argentina superstar suffers 'muscular overload' to hamstring as 2026 FIFA World Cup looms Chuck Booth

Leaks and rumours on USMNT roster

Tuesday was the day of the announcement of the USMNT roster for the 2026 World Cup. After a weekend of speculation including the entire list becoming public, Mauricio Pochettino named his 26-man squad during an event at Pier 17 in New York City. As expected, Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna is going to his second straight World Cup representing the United States men's national team in a quite surprising move. Let's now take a look at the full roster:

- Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution) - Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergino Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic) - Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América) - Forwards: Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille).

Tuchel's surprising choices

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, the managers of the 48 teams involved in the tournament are announcing their teams and Thomas Tuchel made some surprising choices as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire were all left out of the roster picked by the German coach ahead of the summer tournament, while Jordan Henderson and Ivan Toney made it to the England list. Here's the full list:

- Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City) - Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur) - Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal) - Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)

Iran move World Cup camp to Mexico

On Monday, FIFA officially announced the venues of the team camps ahead of the World Cup and Iran will stay in Mexico and travel to the United States on the days of its three matches after the United States declined to host the squad for the tournament according to the BBC.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, "We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico." Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26 while their participation in the tournament is not in doubt as mentioned multiple times by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the past weeks.

The latest on Congo

There is a concern regarding the squad of the Democratic Republic of Congo as they have been told to isolate for 21 days before they will travel to the United States because of the Ebola outbreak in the country. The team is currently training in Belgium after their pre-World Cup camp in Kinshasa was cancelled and the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup Andrew Giuliani said the squad must remain in a "bubble" in Belgium. "They need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer," he told ESPN.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/world-cup-usmnt-reveal-squad-lionel-messi-injured-plus-englands-snubs/)._