Leo Messi’s 6th World Cup: Argentina reveals 2026 preliminary squad
Lionel Scaloni’s initial 55-player roster for the tournament includes Messi, who has refused to publicly confirm his participation.
Lionel Messi looks all set to take part in his sixth World Cup this summer after being named in Argentina’s preliminary squad for the tournament in June and July.
Messi has kept his cards close to his chest whenever he has been asked whether he will be suiting up in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, refusing to confirm one way or another. The Inter Miami superstar will ultimately have the final say on his participation and could still pull out, although the signs increasingly point to him pulling on the famous white-and-sky-blue striped jersey once again.
A possible record-breaking swan song
The former Barcelona playmaker will turn 39 on June 24, just 13 days after the 2026 World Cup begins.
If Argentina defend their title and Messi is involved, he would become the second-oldest player ever to win the tournament, behind Dino Zoff, who was 40 years and 133 days old when Italy lifted the trophy in 1982 in Spain.
Scaloni names expanded preliminary squad
FIFA requires all nations to submit a 35- to 55-player preliminary list by May 11. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni opted for the upper limit, naming a 55-player group filled with familiar faces.
The list includes Messi’s Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono, and no fewer than six Atlético Madrid players, one of whom is Julián Álvarez.
Nico Paz, a reported summer transfer target for Madrid, also makes the cut, as does Kevin Mac Allister, the brother of Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister, not the “Home Alone” character.
The main absentees are Ángel Di María, who has retired from international soccer, and Paulo Dybala, who has endured an injury-hit season with Roma.
Argentina preliminary squad for World Cup 2026
- Emiliano Martínez - Aston Villa
- Gerónimo Rulli - Marseille
- Juan Musso - Atlético Madrid
- Walter Benítez - Crystal Palace
- Facundo Cambeses - Racing Club
- Santiago Beltran - River Plate
- Agustín Giay - Palmeiras
- Gonzalo Montiel - River Plate
- Nahuel Molina - Atlético Madrid
- Nicolás Capaldo - Hamburg
- Kevin Mac Allister - Union Saint Gilloise
- Lucas Martinez Quarta - River Plate
- Marcos Senesi - Bournemounth
- Lisandro Martínez - Manchester United
- Nicolás Otamendi - Benfica
- Germán Pezzella - River Plate
- Leonardo Balerdi - Marseille
- Cristian Romero - Tottenhman Hotspur
- Lautaro Di Lollo - Boca Juniors
- Zaid Romero - Getafe
- Facundo Medina - Marseille
- Marcos Acuña - River Plate
- Nicolás Tagliafico - Lyon
- Gabriel Rojas - Racing Club
- Máximo Perrone - Como
- Leandro Paredes - Boca Juniors
- Guido Rodríguez - Valencia
- Aníbal Moreno - River Plate
- Milton Delgado - Boca Juniors
- Alan Varela - Porto
- Ezequiel Fernández - Bayer Leverkusen
- Rodrigo De Paul - Inter Miami
- Exequiel Palacios - Bayer Leverkusen
- Enzo Fernández - Chelsea
- Alexis Mac Allister - Liverpool
- Giovani Lo Celso - Real Betis
- Nicolás Domínguez - Nottingham Forest
- Emiliano Buendia - Aston Villa
- Valentín Barco - Strasbourg
- Lionel Messi - Inter Miami
- Nicolás Paz - Como
- Franco Mastantuono - Real Madrid
- Thiago Almada - Atlético Madrid
- Tomás Aranda - Boca Juniors
- Nicolás González - Atlético Madrid
- Alejandro Garnacho - Chelsea
- Giuliano Simeone - Atlético Madrid
- Matías Soulé - Roma
- Claudio Echeverri - Girona
- Gianluca Prestianni - Benfica
- Santiago Castro - Bologna
- Lautaro Martínez - Internazionale
- José Manuel López - Palmeiras
- Julián Álvarez - Atlético Madrid
- Mateo Pellegrino - Parma
Warm-up matches in the United States
As it stands, Argentina have two pre-World Cup warm-up games scheduled.
They face Honduras in College Station, Texas on June 6, before taking on Iceland in Auburn, Alabama on June 9.
Argentina’s World Cup group stage schedule
The reigning champions will compete in Group J at the 2026 World Cup, with the following fixtures:
- June 16: Argentina vs Algeria, Kansas City
- June 22: Argentina vs Austria, Arlington
- June 27: Jordan vs Argentina, Arlington
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