Lionel Messi will captain Argentina’s World Cup defense at the 2026 edition, national coach, Lionel
Scaloni announced as he unveiled his 26-man squad.
Messi had not previously confirmed he would play in what will be the 38-year-old’s record-breaking sixth
tournament.
It had been widely assumed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would again lead Argentina, four years
after lifting the trophy in Qatar, but an injury sustained while playing for his club side, Inter Miami, cast
further doubt on his participation.
As well as confirming Messi’s presence, Thursday’s announcement notably excluded Real Madrid’s
Franco Mastantuono from the Argentina squad.
Eighteen-year-old Mastantuono is considered one of the brightest prospects in Argentinian football.
The largest ever World Cup, cohosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off on June 11.
Argentina’s first match will be five days later against Algeria in Kansas City.
Messi’s injury scare in recent days came following his substitution in Miami’s final Major League Soccer
(MLS) fixture before a break in the tournament for the World Cup.
Messi will be playing in his sixth World Cup, having previously participated in Germany 2006, South
Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
Of those called up, 17 players were part of the team that triumphed four years ago in the final against
France in Qatar.
Centre-back Cristian Romero, who suffered a knee injury last month and has not played since, was also
named in the squad.
The Tottenham Hotspur captain was ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League season after he was
shoved into his own goalkeeper by Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.
Argentina’s roster retains 17 of the 26 players who won the title in Qatar.
Young players who received call-ups include 21-year-olds Nicolas Paz and Valentin Barco.
Palmeiras forward Jose Manuel Lopez, who only made his international debut last year, also features.
Other notable absentees include Emiliano Buendia – currently in excellent form at Aston Villa – and
Roma star Paulo Dybala.
The South American giants will journey to the United States for pre-World Cup friendlies against
Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9.
Additional Source: Aljazeera
