Argentina reveals 26-player World Cup team, with nine stars from 2022 not included
Lionel Scaloni has chosen the 26 players who will represent Argentina at the 2026 World Cup. Some big names like Franco Mastantuono, Alejandro Garnacho, and Paulo Dybala were left out this time.
Argentina are among the favorites to win the World Cup this summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as they aim to defend their title. La Albiceleste kicks off on June 16 against Vladimir Petkovic’s Algeria, then face Austria and Jordan in their other Group J matches.
Scaloni is quietly optimistic as the tournament approaches. “We’re doing well, and we’re excited. We know teams will play differently against us because we’re the current champions,” he said recently.
Since winning the cup four years ago, Argentina’s squad has changed quite a bit. In fact, nine players from the 2022 winning team aren’t part of this squad.
Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, and Joaquin Correa will be watching from the sidelines, along with Franco Armani, German Pezzella, Marcos Acuna, Juan Foyth, Guido Rodríguez, and Alejandro Gomez.
Other surprise absences include Franco Mastantuono, who has had limited playtime with Real Madrid this season, as well as Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth and Emiliano Buendía from Aston Villa.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is set to play in his sixth and final World Cup this summer, alongside his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
Here’s the squad list:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid)
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentín Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Forwards: Julián Alvarez (Atlético Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Though the final team lists must be submitted to FIFA by June 1, some countries, like two-time winners France, announced their squads early—France named theirs two weeks ago. Argentina took their time.
Explaining the delay, Scaloni said, “We’re using all the time to check how the players are feeling and to finalize the 26-player squad. After that, we won’t risk anyone in friendlies; we’ll mix in other players.”
A few players have picked up injuries recently, including Messi, who had a hamstring problem while playing for Inter Miami last week.
He added, “Those who finished the season injured will arrive in the U.S. with little training. Most will start training next Monday. Hopefully, everyone will be fit and ready for our first game.”
“They don’t have serious injuries, but we need to manage their recovery carefully, especially key players. That’s why my coaching staff and I are waiting until the last moment to make decisions.”