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Lionel Scaloni revealed the list of players called up to the Argentina national team for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The coach released the roster with the surnames of those who will seek to defend the title won at the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.

The 48-year-old coach from Pujato arrives at this tournament as the winner of two Copa América titles (2021 and 2024), the Finalissima (2022), and the aforementioned title at Lusail Stadium in 2022 with the victory over France in the penalty shootout to add the third star to the Albiceleste crest.

The focus of the list is on the name of Lionel Messi, who will play in his sixth World Cup at the age of 38 (he will turn 39 during the competition) after being part of Argentina’s squads at Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022. The captain, who plays for Inter Miami, has had a fruitful year in North America with 13 goals and 5 assists in 15 appearances for the MLS club. The Rosario native, who scored one goal for Argentina this year across the two friendlies against Zambia and Mauritania, will arrive at the biggest national-team event with 116 goals and 61 assists in 198 appearances wearing the sky blue and white.

The major omission from the list of 26 call-ups is Marcos Acuña, who suffered some physical problems in recent weeks. The player brought in in his place was Facundo Medina, an Olympique de Marseille defender who can play both center back and left back. In addition, Valentín Barco is also in that role, as he can play on the flank and in midfield, where he spent much of the season with Racing Strasbourg.

Other important names left out of the final cut are Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid) and Emiliano Buendía, who had an outstanding season with Aston Villa, where he won the UEFA Europa League. On the other hand, Giovani Lo Celso earned a place in Lionel Scaloni’s squad after qualifying for the Champions League with Spain’s Betis. In midfield, the inclusion of Nico Paz also stands out, one of the big revelations who has earned a spot in the team in the most recent call-ups.

Argentina’s attack includes players who have been part of the national team in recent years. With Thiago Almada expected to play a bigger role than he did in Qatar, Palmeiras’ José Manuel López has made the squad as the third center forward, behind Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.

ARGENTINA’S 26 PLAYERS CALLED UP FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Juan Musso and Gerónimo Rulli

Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martínez, Cristian Cuti Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Facundo Medina and Nahuel Molina

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentín Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Nico Paz

Forwards: Julián Álvarez, Lionel Messi, Nicolás González, Thiago Almada, Gianluca Simeone, José Manuel López and Lautaro Martínez

ARGENTINA NATIONAL TEAM’S PLANNING AHEAD OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP

FIFA regulations establish that squads must include at least three goalkeepers. In addition, if a player is to be replaced due to “serious injury or illness,” it must be done “no later than 24 hours before his team’s first match at the FIFA World Cup,” although goalkeepers may be replaced in cases of force majeure “at any time during the final tournament.” The final squad may only consist of “players who were part of the provisional list” of 55 names that Scaloni released a few days ago. Under these rules, the coach has until Monday, June 15 to make changes to the squad.

The work plan establishes the possibility of gathering the first available players at the Ezeiza training center until the trip to Kansas City, the city that will serve as the Albiceleste’s operational base, with the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, Sporting Kansas City’s MLS training complex, as its training venue.

The schedule includes two warm-up friendlies in the United States before the official debut. On Saturday, June 6, they will face Honduras at Kyle Field Stadium in Texas, and on Tuesday the 9th they will play their final exhibition match against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama.

Although the World Cup will begin on Thursday, June 11 at 4 p.m. Argentina time with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the iconic Azteca Stadium (renamed Mexico City for the event), Scaloni’s team will not get underway until five days later.

On Tuesday, June 16, they will begin their 2026 World Cup campaign against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium starting at 10 p.m. Their second Group J match will be against Austria on Monday, June 22 at 2 p.m. at Dallas Stadium. They will close out the group against Jordan on Saturday, June 27 starting at 11 p.m., also at Dallas Stadium.

If they advance to the round of 32 as group winners, they will play on Friday, July 3 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium against the runner-up from Group H, made up of Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde. If Argentina finishes second in its group, it will face the team that advances as Group H winner on Thursday, July 2 in California. If they go through as one of the best third-placed teams, they will have to wait for the final standings of all groups to identify their opponent in the playoff stage.

ARGENTINA’S SCHEDULE AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP

Tuesday, June 16, 2026: Argentina-Algeria at 10 p.m. Argentina time at Kansas City Stadium

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.