CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lionel Messi, the World Cup's all-time leading goal scorer, was among 29 players selected to the represent Major League Soccer on Wednesday against the LIGA MX All-Stars on July 29 at the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Messi has 12 goals and eight assists in 14 matches this season for Inter Miami CF.
Messi is among 13 World Cup players selected to the MLS All-Star roster.
Among the others include Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira from the Columbus Crew and four players from the United States team, including NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese, Charlotte FC center back Tim Ream, Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
It's unclear if Messi plans to play in the All-Star game after sitting out last year's exhibition match, which led to a one-game suspension that Inter Miami FC Jorge Mas owner called “draconian.”
Messi, the leading scorer at this year's World Cup, helped defending champion Argentina rally from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday.
Argentina faces Switzerland on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The World Cup final is July 19.
Here is the complete MLS roster for the All-Star game:
— Maxime Crépeau, Orlando City
— Matt Freese, New York City FC
— Brian Schwake, Nashville SC
— Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew
— Lucas Herrington, Colorado Rapids
— Richie Laryea, Toronto FC
— Anthony Markanich, Minnesota United FC
— Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Chicago Fire FC
— Steven Moreira, Columbus Crew
— Daniel Munie, San Jose Earthquakes
— Andy Najar, Nashville SC
— Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders FC
— Tim Ream, Charlotte FC
— Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
— Pep Biel, Charlotte FC
— Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami CF
— Evander, FC Cincinnati
— Carles Gil, New England Revolution
— Zavier Gozo, Real Salt Lake
— Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC
— Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
— Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC
— Hugo Cuypers, Chicago Fire FC
— Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC
— Julian Hall, New York Red Bulls
— Son Heung-Min, LAFC
— Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
— Petar Musa, FC Dallas
— Sam Surridge, Nashville SC
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
United States' Sebastian Berhalter, right, and Tim Ream react after the United States lost a World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates scoring their second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo)
LONDON (AP) — Nigel Farage says the political establishment is out to stop him. But the Reform UK leader’s attempt to prove it has not gone to plan.
Facing awkward questions about his finances, the anti-immigration politician dramatically announced that he’s quitting Parliament in order to run again, a move critics denounced as a ploy to dodge a parliamentary probe. His resignation as a lawmaker became official on Wednesday.
Farage said the special election will be “people versus the establishment.” But his opponents aren't playing ball. All the major political parties say they will not field candidates against Farage, leaving him to run all but unopposed.
The gambit could backfire further if an investigation into his finances continues and creates a scenario requiring a second special election.
Here’s what to know about a dramatic development in British politics and what comes next.
Farage only became a British lawmaker two years ago, winning election to Parliament after seven failed attempts, and has led a series of fractious hard-right political parties. But he is arguably one of the most influential politicians of recent decades.
His obsession with taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union helped turn Brexit from a fringe cause to a reality. More recently, he has tapped into anxieties about immigration and social change in a way that echoes his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, and European populists.
Farage has capitalized on — critics say stoked — concerns about migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, which he has called an invasion, and alleges that white people face discrimination from police.
Reform UK holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, but consistently leads opinion polls and was the big winner in local and regional elections in May that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the hands of his own Labour Party.
If the pattern holds, Farage could become prime minister after the next election, due by 2029.
Farage has many sources of income other than a lawmaker’s salary, including hawking gold bullion, hosting a TV current affairs show, public speaking and recording personal video messages on the Cameo website.
Parliament’s standards watchdog is investigating a potentially rule-breaking donation of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million) from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire. Farage says the money was a personal gift he used to fund his personal security and came before he was elected to the House of Commons. Newly elected lawmakers must declare gifts worth more than 300 pounds ($400) received in the previous 12 months if they are related to political activities.
Farage is also facing questions about his financial relationship with George Cottrell, an aristocratic crypto-gambling entrepreneur who served a U.S. prison sentence for fraud.
A finding of wrongdoing could lead to Farage being suspended from Parliament, which in turn could trigger a special election for his seaside seat of Clacton in eastern England.
Rather than await the outcome, Farage made the first move by triggering an election himself.
But if Farage wins, as seems highly likely, the standards inquiry is set to resume. If it finds Farage broke the rules, there could be another Clacton election within months.
Farage has said he is frustrated and fed up with politics. He has a history of walking away from parties he led. He stepped down from both the UK Independence Party and its successor, the Brexit Party, in the last decade.
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, says he suspects Farage will stay put to lead Reform into the next election.
“Fighting and winning a by-election is perhaps his best hope of suggesting to people that he is still very much a man alone, fighting the establishment,” Bale said.
Farage insists he has “done nothing wrong” and is the victim of dirty tricks by his political foes and “constant demonization” by the media.
Bale said the snap election allows him to distract attention away from allegations about his finances. But he said Farage risks being seen “as a self-pitying, angry guy on an ego trip who is determined to distract people from some awkward facts.”
Opponents called the move a stunt and a sign Farage is on the ropes. Reform UK has lost three consecutive special elections that it hoped to win, a possible sign its support may be sagging. The most recent loss was to Labour’s Andy Burnham, who is all but certain to succeed Starmer as prime minister within weeks.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party all said they would not run against Farage.
“He’s run himself into a cul-de-sac and it was a stunt," Starmer said Wednesday. The prime minister said Farage is "up to his neck in sleaze and he doesn’t want to answer questions about it.”
So far only one candidate has announced plans to run against Farage: Count Binface, a comedian with a trash can on his head.
Jon Harvey is the man under the can, a self-described 5,000-year-old intergalactic space warrior who is a perennial candidate with no expectation of winning in the U.K.'s highest-profile elections. He has run against former Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and, most recently, Burnham.
Dressed like a character in a low-budget sci-fi film, Binface offers offbeat policies catering to locals, such as synchronizing traffic lights on a particularly busy street or moving the hand dryer in the Crown & Treaty Pub in Uxbridge “to a more sensible location.” A standing pledge is to cap croissant prices at 1.10 pounds ($1.47).
Binface told the BBC on Wednesday that his main appeal in Clacton would be that "I’m not Nigel Farage.” He said the lack of other candidates said more about them than him.
“Are they running scared from old Binny, or do they think that Nigel’s running a cunning stunt?" he said.
Britain's Reform UK leader Nigel Farage leaves Milbank Tower after he said he'll quit his Parliament seat and seek reelection in London, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
FILE - Independent candidate Count Binface speaks to a journalist as he arrives for the vote count in Britain's general election at the Richmond and Northallerton count center in Northallerton, England, Friday July 5, 2024. (Temilade Adelaja, Pool via AP, file)
Britain's Reform UK leader Nigel Farage leaves Milbank Tower after he said he'll quit his Parliament seat and seek reelection in London, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
