Lionel Messi will lead defending champions Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after coach Lionel Scaloni named a 26-man squad featuring 17 players from the 2022 title-winning team.
IMAGE: Messi is set to play his record sixth World Cup as Argentina aim to defend title. Photograph: FIFA World Cup/X
Argentina named their 26-man squad for the World Cup on Thursday, with Lionel Messi set to lead the defending champions at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The 38-year-old Inter Miami forward will play in his sixth World Cup, extending his national record, while Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez are among 17 players returning from the squad that lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022.
Key Points
- Coach Lionel Scaloni kept the core group that won the title in Qatar.
- Angel Di Maria was not considered after retiring from international football.
- Giovani Lo Celso returned after missing the 2022 World Cup through injury.
- Young talents Valentin Barco, Nicolas Paz and Giuliano Simeone were included.
Coach Lionel Scaloni retained the core of the side that won Argentina’s third world title, although veteran winger Angel Di Maria was not considered after retiring from international football following the 2024 Copa America.
Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who missed the 2022 World Cup through injury, returned for his second FIFA World Cup campaign after being part of Argentina’s squad in Russia in 2018 without making an appearance.
Argentina include few fresh faces in World Cup squad
Argentina also included several younger players expected to lead the team’s next generation, including Valentin Barco, Nicolas Paz and Giuliano Simeone, while forwards Jose Manuel Lopez and Thiago Almada are among those set for their first World Cup appearances.
Local media reports said left back Marcos Acuna, part of the 2022 title-winning squad, missed out because of fitness concerns.
Argentina will open their Group J campaign against Algeria on June 16 before facing Jordan and Austria.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso.
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Nahuel Molina.
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez.
Forwards: Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Nicolas Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Paz, Jose Manuel Lopez, Lautaro Martinez.
