Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has selected captain Lionel Messi and 54 other players in his provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Messi is preparing to participate in his sixth World Cup, a new milestone in his illustrious international career.
Group Stage and Defending Champions
The Argentine team will compete in Group 10, which includes Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Argentina enters the tournament as the defending champion, having won the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022 after a thrilling victory over France in the final.
Notable Absences
The initial list saw the absence of Roma player Paulo Dybala, a decision that raised questions among fans. Additionally, Argentine Gianluca Prestiani has been ruled out of the first two World Cup matches due to a suspension stemming from an incident with Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior during a Champions League fixture. UEFA had previously announced a six-match suspension for the Benfica player due to the events that occurred during the match against Real Madrid.
Goalkeepers
The provisional squad includes goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Argentina), and Santiago Beltran (River Plate).
Defenders
The defenders are Agustin Guay (Palmeiras), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Capaldo (Hamburg), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Lucas Martinez Quarta (River Plate), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), German Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Lautaro De Lolo (Boca Juniors), Zaid Romero (Getafe), Facundo Medina (Olympique Marseille), Marcos Acuna (River Plate), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), and Gabriel Rojas (Racing Argentina).
Midfielders
The midfielders vying for positions are Maximo Peroni (Como), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Guido Rodriguez (Valencia), Anibal Moreno (River Plate), Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors), Alan Varela (Porto), Ezequiel Fernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), and Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).
Attackers
Joining Messi in attack are Como's Nicolas Paz, Franco Mastantono (Real Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matias Solli (Roma), Claudio Etxeferee (Girona), Gianluca Prestini (Benfica), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), and Matteo Pellegrino (Parma).
