Argentina announce 26-man World Cup squad as nine previous winners from 2022 miss out
Topics: Argentina, FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi
Jack Kenmare
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Argentina, FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi
Lionel Scaloni has named the 26 players who will represent Argentina at the 2026 World Cup – and a host of big names have missed out, including Franco Mastantuono, Alejandro Garnacho and Paulo Dybala.
Argentina are one of the favourites to win this summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada as they look to defend their crown.
La Albiceleste will be hoping to get off to a good start on June 16, when they come up against Vladimir Petkovic's Algeria. They will then face Austria and Jordan in their remaining Group J fixtures.
Scaloni is quietly confident coming into the tournament. “We’re doing well, we’re eager. We’re aware that our opponents will play us differently because we’re the reigning champions," he said earlier this month.
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Four years after winning the trophy, Argentina's squad is looking noticeably different. In fact, nine players from that World Cup-winning squad in 2022 have missed out on selection this time around.
Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala and Joaquin Correa will watch from the sidelines alongside Franco Armani, German Pezzella, Marcos Acuna, Juan Foyth, Guido Rodríguez and Alejandro Gomez.
Other notable absences include Franco Mastantuono, who has played a bit-part role for Real Madrid this season, while Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi and Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendía have also been snubbed.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, will take part in his sixth and final World Cup this summer alongside Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid)
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentín Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Forwards: Julián Alvarez (Atlético Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Even though the final team lists must be submitted to FIFA by June 1, some nations have announced their squads earlier than others.
Two-time winners France, for example, were one of the first to make a statement and announced their squad two weeks ago. Argentina, meanwhile, have waited patiently.
Explaining the decision, Scaloni said: "We're taking all the time given to assess the players' condition and finalise the 26-man squad. After that, we won't risk any players in the friendlies; we'll use a mix of players."
Several players have picked up injuries in recent weeks, including Lionel Messi, who suffered a hamstring issue while playing for Inter Miami last week.
He continued: "Those who ended the season injured will head to the United States with hardly any training under their belts. Next Monday will be the first training session for most of them. Hopefully they'll all be fit and ready for the first match."
"They don't have any serious injuries, but we need to pace them and take care of them, especially with certain players in key positions. That's why the coaching staff and I are waiting until the last minute."