Tour ends: Scaloni to release Argentina squad after Angola friendly | OneFootball

The Argentine National Team is facing an unusual tour at the end of 2025. A friendly match in Angola required the players to get vaccinated, with last-minute absences such as Julián Álvarez, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, and Enzo Fernández. New faces include Joaquín Panichelli, Gianluca Prestianni, and Kevin Mac Allister, and now a decisive decision by Lionel Scaloni that completely changes the logistics in Spain.

The initial plan was for the called-up players to train in Alicante, Spain, until Thursday (there will be a morning practice), at which point they would travel to Luanda to finalize the last details for the match on Friday, starting at 1 PM.

After the final whistle at the Estádio 11 de Novembro, some key players would be released, such as Lionel Messi, and the rest of the delegation would return to Spanish soil to train until the middle of next week.

However, everything changed at the last minute: the national coaching staff will not continue with training after the friendly against their African opponent, and all the players have already been given the green light to join their respective clubs over the weekend. It will be an early end to the tour.

Although some players will be evaluated in detail over the coming days, especially the mentioned Panichelli, Prestianni, and Mac Allister, along with Valentín Barco, Máximo Perrone, and José Manuel López, who dream of securing a spot on the 2026 World Cup roster, there won't be much time to adjust on the field during this FIFA international window, which will serve more as a year-end farewell than a testing ground for the National Team.

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