Lionel Messi Faces Lawsuit Over Missing Argentina Match

Miami event promoter VID Music Group sued Lionel Messi, the Argentine Football Association, and sports intermediary Julian Marcos Kapelan on March 31, 2026, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, alleging fraud and breach of contract after Messi failed to play in an October 2025 Argentina versus Venezuela exhibition match the company had paid millions to promote. The Lionel Messi lawsuit over the Argentina match centers on a contract clause that required him to be on the field for at least 30 minutes unless injured — and on the fact that he sat out the friendly in street clothes, then started for Inter Miami the very next day.

The Contract That Required Messi to Play

In the summer of 2025, VID Music Group paid the AFA $7 million for exclusive rights to promote two Argentina friendlies in the United States that October: one against Venezuela and one against Puerto Rico. VID’s revenue was to come from ticket sales, broadcasting, and sponsorships.¹ The same deal covered two more matches set for June 2026 at $5 million each.²

According to the complaint, a central term of the deal required Messi to play at least 30 minutes in each match barring injury. VID’s attorney Ralph Patino called Messi’s participation “a material term of the agreements, forming a central component of the contracts and directly tied to the commercial viability of the matches.” The contract also provided that VID was entitled to 25 percent of the contract’s value, roughly $1.75 million, if Messi didn’t play. VID says the AFA never paid it.³

What Happened at the Venezuela Match

Argentina beat Venezuela 1–0 at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida on October 10, 2025. Messi was at the game, but he watched from a luxury suite in street clothes.⁴

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said the call was his. “We wanted to try Lautaro and Julian up top and we had Flaco Lopez on the bench,” he told reporters. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano added that Messi had not trained with the national team all week.⁴

The next day, October 11, Messi started for Inter Miami against Atlanta United in an MLS regular-season match and scored twice.⁵ VID points to that appearance as proof that Messi was fit to play and could have honored the Venezuela commitment.

The Puerto Rico Match Was Moved on Short Notice

The second friendly, Argentina versus Puerto Rico, was originally set for October 13 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Days before kickoff, it was relocated to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami’s home ground, and pushed to October 14.⁶

A Chicago Park District spokesman said the promoter pulled out “due to low ticket sales,” while an AFA executive blamed “the situation in Chicago,” a reference to unrest tied to a federal immigration crackdown in the area.⁶⁷ VID says the venue change alone cost it more than $1 million.⁸ Messi did play in the rescheduled Fort Lauderdale match.¹

What VID Is Claiming in Court

The complaint runs to 10 counts.⁹ The main allegations:

Breach of contract against the AFA and Messi for failing to meet the 30-minute requirement in the Venezuela match. VID calls Messi’s participation “the primary economic driver of the matches.”⁵
Fraud and civil conspiracy, alleging Messi, Kapelan, and the AFA induced VID to sign the contracts “under false pretenses” by promising participation they didn’t intend to deliver.⁹
Negligent misrepresentation, based on assurances about Messi’s availability that VID says it relied on to make “significant financial and operational commitments.”¹⁰
Tortious interference with VID’s ability to profit from the events.³

Kapelan, who served as the intermediary the AFA required VID to work with on stadium arrangements, faces fraud claims of his own. VID alleges his FIFA match agent license had expired at the time of the negotiations, raising questions about his authority to broker the deal.⁹

VID has not stated a specific damages figure but says it lost millions between the no-show and the venue change.¹ The suit also references breaches connected to the two June 2026 matches and a proposed friendly against Mexico that VID says never materialized.¹⁰

Why Messi Is a Defendant When He Didn’t Sign the Contract

Messi was not a signatory to the VID–AFA agreement. VID’s attorney Patino argues he qualifies as an “accomplice” because he “known or must have known” about the arrangement, and that by accepting payment from the AFA and training with the national team he took on an obligation to play. VID’s legal team describes this as the “first lawsuit of this type against AFA in the United States.”²

How the AFA Is Responding

The Argentine Football Association pushed back. In a statement, the federation said it “fully performed all of its obligations under the relevant agreements, including delivering the Argentine national team for both matches in October 2025.”¹¹ It said it would “defend this matter vigorously” and would “pursue collection of the millions of dollars owed to it by the very parties who filed this lawsuit.”⁹

The AFA said it has contracts, payment records, and correspondence that will tell “the full story” and is “prepared to present them in the appropriate forum.”⁹ No formal counterclaim has been filed in the public record.¹² Messi’s representatives have not publicly commented.

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, the lawsuit is active in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. No rulings, settlements, or hearing dates have been publicly reported, and the status of the June 2026 matches originally covered by the contract remains unclear from available reporting.¹³

1
ESPN. Messi, Argentina Federation Sued Over Missed Exhibition Match
2
Buenos Aires Times. Miami Lawyers Consider Messi to Be AFA Accomplice in Multi-Million Lawsuit
3
Sports Illustrated. Why Lionel Messi Is Being Sued: Multi-Million Dollar Case
4
Miami Herald. Messi Sits Out Argentina vs. Venezuela Friendly
5
USA Today. Lionel Messi Sued Over Argentina Exhibition Matches
6
The Athletic. Argentina-Puerto Rico Friendly Moved From Chicago to Miami
7
WTTW. Argentina-Puerto Rico Soccer Match Featuring Messi Moved From Chicago to Florida
8
New York Post. Lionel Messi Getting Sued Over Skipping Argentina Matches
9
The Athletic. Lionel Messi Lawsuit Over Argentina Friendly Matches
10
Miami Herald. VID Music Group Files Lawsuit Over Messi Exhibition Matches
11
Yahoo Sports. Argentine Football Association Claps Back at Promoter Lawsuit
12
TMZ. Argentine Football Association Responds to VID Promoter Lionel Messi Lawsuit
13
Diario AS. What We Know About the $7 Million Lawsuit Against Lionel Messi and the Argentina Football Association