As the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup approach, the Argentine national team will be without its two biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María, marking the first time since 2013 that both players will be absent from an official match for La Albiceleste.

For years, Argentine fans have celebrated victories and championships, often thanks to the goals of Messi and Di María, two of the most crucial contributors to their success. The absence of both players in the upcoming matches against Chile at home and Colombia away, on Thursday and Tuesday respectively, is a rare occurrence.

The decision by coach Lionel Scaloni to leave them out of the squad did not come as a surprise. Messi, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player, has not played since being injured in the Copa América final in the United States, where Argentina won 1-0 against Colombia on July 14. The Inter Miami forward suffered a severe sprain in his right ankle and only returned to training last week.

Di María, currently playing for Benfica, announced months ago that the continental tournament would mark the end of his journey with the national team. Like Messi, Di María won the 2022 World Cup, the Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima. Although he will be present at the Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires on Thursday, it won’t be to play with his usual number 11 shirt but to be honored by the fans.

The last time both Messi and Di María missed an official match together was on October 15, 2013, when Argentina lost 3-2 to Uruguay in the final round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Messi was absent due to a right thigh injury, and Di María was rested by coach Alejandro Sabella, as Argentina had already qualified for the World Cup and secured the top spot.

In that match, held at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Sabella fielded a mix of starters and substitutes, leaving some key players on the bench. Meanwhile, Uruguay's coach Óscar Tabárez deployed his strongest lineup as Uruguay needed to secure a playoff spot and had hopes of qualifying directly for the World Cup. Uruguay won 3-2 with goals from Cristian Rodríguez, Edinson Cavani, and Luis Suárez, while Maxi Rodríguez scored twice for Argentina.

Ultimately, Uruguay secured their place at the World Cup in Brazil by defeating Jordan 5-0 on aggregate in the playoffs.

Having won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008 together, Messi and Di María ended a 16-year period of sharing the national team jersey during the recent Copa América. Di María debuted for the senior team in September 2008, three years after Messi, who had been part of the squad since 2005. Now, almost two decades later, Argentina will take the field without either of them.