Argentina Officially Announces Its 2026 World Cup List

The Argentine national team has officially submitted its preliminary 55-player list to FIFA for the 2026 World Cup.

The 2022 World Cup holders open the current tournament against the Algerian national team, then face Austria, and conclude their group stage matches against Jordan.

In a step that combines experience and youth, Lionel Scaloni selected the names of the players who will seek to defend the title in North America.

This list is a mandatory step before the announcement of the final 26-player squad, which will be announced on June 2.

Messi's Status

Lionel Messi heads a list that includes prominent names such as "Dibu" Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul, and Julian Alvarez.

However, the list sparked widespread controversy due to the absence of a prominent player, Roma striker Paulo Dybala, who was excluded due to his recent lack of regular playing time, signaling the end of his era with the Argentine national team.

This preliminary 55-player list serves as a safety net for the coaching staff. According to FIFA regulations, any last-minute replacement due to injury in the final squad must be among these names only.

Scaloni covered all positions, including 6 goalkeepers and multiple options at full-back to avoid any unexpected problems before the first match against Algeria.

Below is the full preliminary list of the Argentine national team

Goalkeepers

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Geronimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille)

Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)

Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace)

Facundo Cambeses (Racing)

Santiago Beltran (River Plate)

Defenders

Agustin Giay (Palmeiras)

Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate)

Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)

Nicolas Capaldo (Hamburger SV)

Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise)

L. Martinez Quarta (River Plate)

Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)

Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)

Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica Portugal)

German Pezzella (River Plate)

Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille)

Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors)

Zaid Romero (Getafe)

Facundo Medina (Olympique Marseille)

Marcos Acuna (River Plate)

Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon)

Gabriel Rojas (Racing Club)

Midfielders

Maximo Perrone (Calcio Como 1907)

Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors)

Guido Rodriguez (Valencia)

Anibal Moreno (River Plate)

Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors)

Alan Varela (Porto)

Ezequiel Fernandez (Bayer Leverkusen)

Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami)

Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)

Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis Balompie)

Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest)

Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa)

Valentin Barco (Racing Strasbourg)

Attack

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)

Nicolas Paz (Calcio Como 1907)

Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid)

Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid)

Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors)

Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid)

Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea)

Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid)

Matias Soule (Roma)

Claudio Echeverri (Girona FC)

Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)

Santiago Castro (Bologna)

Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras)

Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)

Mateo Pellegrino (Parma Calcio)