On the night of Thursday, May 28, Argentina made a late announcement of their 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
Lionel Messi has been selected to captain the defending world champions in what will be his record-breaking sixth tournament.
The 38-year-old had not previously confirmed whether he would participate in this year’s tournament, and a recent injury sustained while playing for Inter Miami cast further doubt on his participation.
The club have since confirmed that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, nothing severe enough to have him excluded from international duty.
Notable exclusions
While Messi’s inclusion has been positively received, there are some notable exclusions from the 26-man squad.
Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono were cut from the final squad.
18-year-old Mastantuono is considered to be one of the brightest young prospects in Argentine football.
Meanwhile, from the Premier League, Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendía have also been left out of Argentina’s final World Cup squad.
Other Premier League exclusions include Chelsea’s Alejandro Garnacho, Nottingham Forest’s Nicolás Domínguez and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez.
Maintaining continuity
Manager Lionel Scaloni has maintained the core of the team, with 2022 FIFA Best Young Player award winner Enzo Fernández selected to represent his nation in what will be his second World Cup.
Julián Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Giuliano Simeone, Lisandro Martínez and Emiliano Martínez have also been included, merging experience with young talent.
Notably, 17 of the 26 players who won the 2022 World Cup will feature for Argentina again this year.
READ MORE: World Cup 2026 analysis: Five veterans playing in their final World Cup
Final Argentina World Cup squad
Goalkeepers
- Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
- Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille)
- Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid)
Defenders
- Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille)
- Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon)
- Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate)
- Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United)
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
- Facundo Medina (Olympique Marseille)
- Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders
- Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors)
- Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami)
- Valentín Barco (Racing Strasbourg)
- Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
- Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
- Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
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)
Argentina kick off their World Cup title defence on June 17 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.
Can Messi, who will likely be playing in his final World Cup, close a historic chapter in style?
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: World Cup 2026 opinion: Five dark horses for this summer’s World Cup
SportJustSport writers 
Michael Davey