Messi cleared to face New England after MLS ‘good behaviour’ rule

Lionel Messi will be available for Inter Miami’s meeting with New England Revolution on Sunday despite receiving his fifth yellow card of the MLS regular season.

The Inter Miami captain was booked in the 42nd minute of his side’s 2-2 draw with Cincinnati on Wednesday at Nou. Messi appeared confused after being shown the card, having approached the referee following an altercation with Cincinnati player Samuel Gid.

The booking was Messi’s fifth of the campaign and would normally have resulted in a one-match suspension. However, the 39-year-old has avoided a ban because of Major League Soccer’s “good behaviour” rule.

Under the regulation, one yellow card is removed from a player’s accumulated total if they complete five consecutive league matches without being cautioned.

Messi received his five bookings in rounds 8, 11, 20, 31 and 33. The gaps between some of those cautions were long enough for the rule to be applied, resulting in two cards being removed from the total used to determine suspensions, according to the British newspaper The Sun.

Although all five yellow cards remain recorded on Messi’s disciplinary record, they do not all count towards the accumulated number that can trigger a suspension. His effective total is therefore three cards, allowing him to play in Inter Miami’s penultimate regular-season match.

Inter Miami will face New England Revolution on Sunday, 01 November 2026, before concluding the regular season against Charlotte on 07 November 2026.