Beltrán and Aranda in Argentina squad: 4 Scaloni surprises | OneFootball

Scaloni will name a squad of more than 26 players and will take River and Boca footballers to be part of the training sessions.

While waiting for Lionel Scaloni to announce the 26 players called up for the 2026 World Cup, the Argentina national team is getting ready for the two friendlies before the start of the tournament, against the Honduras national team and the Iceland national team, to be played in the United States.

With those matches in mind, the coach from Pujato intends to take more players than the list allows in order to have sparring partners in training. For that, he will call up names from Argentine football who have not had experience with the senior national team.

Among the names being considered, according to what Bolavip was able to learn, are two River players: Santiago Beltrán, who is fighting for a place on the final list, and Joaquín Freitas. On the Boca side, the young player Tomás Aranda appears, and he is on the 55-man preliminary list.

Freitas’ case is the most unusual because he was not part of the preliminary list Scaloni submitted to the AFA. Throughout his youth development, he was only part of Argentina’s Ascenso national team, during his time at Acassuso.

Meanwhile, Nicolás Capaldo will also be present. The former Xeneize player, who plays for Hamburg in Germany and has not made his senior debut, will be involved in training sessions and practices in an effort to break into the final squad and compete for a spot at right back.

Over the course of last season, Capaldo turned into a defender, having started his career as a midfielder. With Hamburg, where he also wore the captain’s armband, he played during the 2025/26 campaign both as a center back and as a right-sided fullback.

So, ahead of these friendlies, Scaloni will call up more than 26 players and then make the final cut for the World Cup. In those matches, he will try out new options to clear up the last doubts in shaping the squad for the world tournament.

Ovando and Escobar, Scaloni’s other surprises

Ignacio Ovando, an 18-year-old center back who is a starter for Rosario Central, is another of Scaloni’s surprises for these friendlies, since after coming through the national team’s youth ranks, he will have his first experience with the senior side.

A similar situation will apply to Simón Escobar. The Vélez left back, who captained Argentina’s Under-17 national team, will join the senior team’s training sessions for the first time in his career. In November this year, he will play in the World Cup with his age group.

Argentina national team’s upcoming friendlies

As preparation for the World Cup, the Argentina national team will play two friendly matches. The first will be against Honduras on Saturday, June 6 at Kyle Field in Texas, followed by Iceland on Tuesday, June 9 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama.

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