Argentina name preliminary squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Lionel Messi
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
La Albiceleste will enter the competition as defending champions.
12 players from the local league have been added to the initial roster of 55 players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by Argentina’s national team coach Lionel Scaloni. Gabriel Rojas of Racing and Facundo Cambeses have been included by Scaloni.
Argentina’s preliminary squad consists of six River Plate players: Santiago Beltrán, Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Germán Pezzella, Marcos Acuña, and Aníbal Moreno. The preliminary team includes Lautaro Di Lollo, Leandro Paredes, Milton Delgado, and Tomás Aranda from Boca Juniors.
Paulo Dybala was left out of the Argentina national team’s 55-man preliminary World Cup selection. The football community took notice of the star player’s omission from the list.
Whether Dybala, whose future at AS Roma is also up for dispute, would depart the club at the end of the current campaign is still up in the air.
The talented player has not lived up to expectations as he has had difficulty finding regular playing time with the Italian team this season. Paulo Dybala has featured in 25 games for Roma this season, with three goals and five assists.
Argentina’s preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso, Walter Benítez, Facundo Cambeses, Santiago Beltrán
Defenders: Agustín Giay, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Capaldo, Kevin Mac Allister, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Marcos Senesi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Germán Pezzella, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lautaro Di Lollo, Zaid Romero, Facundo Medina, Marcos Acuña, Nicolás Tagliafico, Gabriel Rojas
Midfielders: Máximo Perrone, Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Aníbal Moreno, Milton Delgado, Alan Varela, Ezequiel Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso, Nicolás Domínguez, Emiliano Buendía, Valentín Barco
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Nicolás Paz, Franco Mastantuono, Thiago Almada, Tomás Aranda, Nicolás González, Alejandro Garnacho, Giuliano Simeone, Matías Soulé, Claudio Echeverri, Gianluca Prestianni, Santiago Castro, Lautaro Martínez, José Manuel López, Julián Álvarez, Mateo Pellegrino
Is Messi named in the Argentina preliminary squad?
Yes.
How many players does the preliminary squad consist of?
55 players.
When will the official squad be announced?
FIFA says it will announce the final lists for the 48 competing squads on June 2.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.