Alan Varela in Argentina's preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Alan Varela, of FC Porto, and Otamendi and Prestianni, of Benfica, are the three Argentinians playing in Portugal who are part of Argentina’s extended preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup, announced one month before the start of the competition.

The coach has until 30 May to submit the final list of 26 players. It should be noted that, in Prestianni’s case, the player will miss the first two group-stage matches due to a suspension following the incidents in Benfica-Real Madrid.

The squad announced includes several new faces and some returning players, with any injury replacement before the tournament having to be made from this initial selection.

In defence, less expected names appear, such as Lautaro Di Lollo, of Boca Juniors, and Zaid Romero, who plays for Getafe. Agustín Giay, Kevin Mac Allister and Nicolás Capaldo were also called up. In goal, the main surprise is the inclusion of Santiago Beltrán, of River Plate, who appears as the sixth option.

From midfield forward, the coach who won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 included young talents such as Milton Delgado and Tomás Aranda, both starters for Boca Juniors and with experience in youth national teams.

The list also includes the return of players who have recently lost ground, such as Guido Rodríguez, Nicolás Domínguez, Aníbal Moreno and Emiliano Buendía. Alejandro Garnacho, absent from call-ups since September 2024, Matías Soulé and Claudio Echeverri were also called up.

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