Lionel Messi is among the 55 players named in Argentina‘s preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, now 38 years old, is anticipated to participate in his sixth World Cup, though he has not yet confirmed if he will captain the Albiceleste as they aim to defend their title this summer.
During Argentina’s qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, Messi emerged as the top scorer, netting eight goals across 12 of the 18 matches.
Paulo Dybala from Roma, who was part of the 2022 World Cup-winning team, has not played since 2024 and is absent from the list of 55.
Nevertheless, Atletico Madrid’s Julián Álvarez and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez have made the cut.
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has also been selected. However, if he secures a spot in the final 26-man squad, he will miss the first two World Cup matches due to suspension. UEFA recently handed him a six-game ban for his verbal abuse towards Real Madrid‘s Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior during the Champions League, a ruling that FIFA confirmed would apply globally.
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Tottenham’s Cristian Romero, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since April 13, is included, alongside Chelsea‘s Alejandro Garnacho and Como‘s Nico Paz. Coach Lionel Scaloni has also included several uncapped players, like Getafe‘s center-back Zaid Romero.
Argentina will kick off their World Cup journey against Algeria on June 16, followed by matches against Austria and Jordan in Group J.