Updated: 29 May 2026 13:55 BST |
5 min read
Lionel Scaloni has named his Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup and the headline is undoubtedly the fact that Lionel Messi will once again represent his country at the tournament.
This summer, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first players in history to play at six separate World Cup tournaments. At the moment, there are six men who have played in five World Cups – Ronaldo, Messi, Mexico’s Antonio Cabral, Germany’s Lothar Mathaus, Mexico’s Rafael Marquez and Mexico’s Andres Guardado.
There has been constant speculation as to whether Messi would indeed represent Argentina again.
“I don’t want to be a burden, so to speak,” the 38-year-old previously told Sport.
“I want to feel physically fit, to be sure I can help and contribute to the team. Our season is different from the European one. We’ll have a pre-season in between, with few matches leading up to the World Cup, and we’ll see how things go day by day to see if I really feel physically fit enough to be where I’d like to be and be able to participate.
“But obviously, I’m aware that it’s a World Cup, and it’s special, and that the World Cup is the biggest competition there is. So, I’m excited, but I’m taking it one day at a time.”
🇦🇷 AHORA: SALIÓ LA LISTA DE ARGENTINA!
Estos son los 26 convocados de Lionel Scaloni para buscar defender el título y buscar la cuarta estrella.
¿Opiniones? pic.twitter.com/Ag5o26YQFM
— Nahuel Lanzón (@nahuelzn) May 28, 2026
Messi recently went off injured in Inter Miami’s win against Philadelphia Union and naturally that raised concern about his World Cup fitness but it was confirmed to be a precautionary measure as he was suffering fatigue.
The former Barcelona star holds the record for the most World Cup appearances in history and will add to that tally this summer.
The defending champions from 2022 are by no means a one-man team, though, as there are plenty of other superstars in the ranks, particularly in attacking areas.
Julian Alvarez proved a wonderful partner for Messi in Qatar and he has been included in the squad, alongside the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada and Nico Paz in the forward areas.
Emiliano Martinez won the Yashin trophy for best goalkeeper in the world two years in a row fresh off the last World Cup win and he’s included again.
There is plenty of experience in defence as Nicolas Otamendi has been selected again alongside the Premier League’s Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero. The Tottenham defender had suffered an injury towards the end of Spurs’ season but is fine enough to travel to North America.
Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister are also from the Premier League contingent, though both will be looking to put poor club seasons behind them.
Paulo Dybala, Alejandro Garnacho, Franco Mastantuono and Emiliano Buendia are among the notable absentees.
Seventeen members of the Argentina squad lifted the trophy in 2022.
With everyone fit, here’s how Argentina could line up this summer.
(4-3-3): Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Mac Allister, Paredes, Fernandez; Messi, Alvarez, Paz.
Martinez is a definite started in goal though Scaloni has a decision to make in the centre of defence. His on-field lieutenant Otamendi will likely be trusted again but Romero and Martinez will battle it out to play alongside him.
In midfield, Mac Allister and Fernandez will start despite their struggles in 2025/26, with Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo de Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Ezequiel Palacios and Valentin Barco fighting for the third spot.
In attack, Alvarez will definitely lead the line with Messi just in behind. As for the other spot, it depends if Scaloni wants to play a version of 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-1-2. If it’s the former, wonderkid Thiago Almada could play alongside Messi and if it’s the latter, Inter’s Martinez could partner Alvarez.
In qualifying, Almada started most of the matches on the left-hand side of the front three both he and Messi drifted into central areas.
Should Argentina defend the World Cup, we could be treated to another memory of Messi’s famous celebration, pointing to the sky.
If we don’t see it in real life again, you can keep your own memory of it with LEGO’s official Lionel Messi Argentina celebration set.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is set to be the biggest tournament in the competition’s history, and LEGO© is tapping into football fever with a new range designed for supporters, collectors and younger fans alike.
