Buenos Aires, May 29: Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni has announced a 26-member squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Under the leadership of Lionel Messi, Argentina aims to defend its title.
Brazil was the last team to successfully defend its World Cup title in 1962. Since then, no team has won the trophy consecutively. With Messi at the helm, Argentina’s attacking lineup looks formidable. He will be supported by Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
Scaloni has also placed trust in some new players who were not part of the Qatar World Cup squad. Among them is Valentín Barco, who had an impressive season in Europe. Additionally, José Manuel López, a center-forward from Brazil’s Palmeiras, has been included as a backup for Alvarez and Martinez. Nico Paz has also made the cut, having delivered stellar performances for Como 1907, earning the coaching staff’s favor.
Lionel Messi will be participating in his sixth World Cup. In his last match for Inter Miami, he appeared to be in discomfort and had to leave the field. However, the club confirmed that his injury is not serious and is merely fatigue in his left hamstring muscles.
Scaloni stated, “We were watching Messi’s game at the training complex when we realized he had asked to be substituted. He wasn’t feeling well. The initial reports are not too bad. Obviously, we wished nothing had happened to him. Now we just have to wait and see how things progress. I think there will be more tests to confirm the situation.”
Emiliano Martinez’s participation in the team has been confirmed despite suffering a finger fracture while playing for Aston Villa during last week’s UEFA Europa League final. Defender Cristian Romero has also been included as he recovers from a knee injury.
Notably, nine players who helped Argentina clinch the championship four years ago have not made the squad this time. Franco Armani, Juan Foyth, German Pezzella, Marcos Acuña, Ángel Di María, Alejandro Gómez, Guido Rodríguez, Paulo Dybala, and Ángel Correa have all been left out. Argentina will kick off its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Algeria on June 16, followed by matches against Austria and Jordan in Group J.
Here is Argentina’s squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille), Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Olympique de Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentín Barco (Racing Strasbourg), Giovanni Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nico Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simon (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan).
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