Inside Argentina’s World Cup roster 2026: Lionel Messi hopes to ride off into FIFA sunset a two-time winner
Lionel Messi will give it one final ride as the 38-year-old icon heads into the 2026 FIFA World Cup almost certainly gearing up for his last run at a world title.
After leading his team to glory four years ago in Qatar, Messi will now look to push Argentina to the first World Cup title defense since Brazil won two straight in 1958 and 1962.
As Messi continues to age, surrounding him with the best possible talent will be of the utmost importance for head coach Lionel Scaloni as they chase a fourth World Cup for the Albiceleste.
The Sporting News has all the key details on Argentina’s World Cup squad below.
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Argentina World Cup roster 2026
Lionel Scaloni named his final World Cup squad on May 28, slightly ahead of the suggested schedule.
Teams had until Monday, May 11 to submit to FIFA an official preliminary list of 35-55 players, from which they are required to name a final roster by Saturday, May 30.
Below is the list of players be named to the Argentina roster.
Caps and stats correct as of May 28.
PosNo.NameClubAgeCapsGK23Emiliano MartinezAston Villa (Premier League, England)3359GK1Juan MussoAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)323GK12Geronimo RulliMarseille (Ligue 1, France)347DEF2Leonardo BalerdiMarseille (Ligue 1, France)2711DEF6Lisandro MartinezManchester United (Premier League, England)2826DEF25Facundo MedinaLens (Ligue 1, France)277DEF26Nahuel MolinaAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2858DEF4Gonzalo MontielRiver Plate (Primera Liga, Argentina)2938DEF19Nicolas OtamendiBenfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal)38130DEF13Cristian RomeroTottenham Hotspur (Premier League, England)2849DEF3Nicolas TagliaficoLyon (Ligue 1, France)3375MID8Valentin BarcoStrasbourg (Ligue 1, France)212MID7Rodrigo De PaulInter Miami (MLS, United States)3285MID24Enzo FernandezChelsea (Premier League, England)2540MID11Giovani Lo CelsoReal Betis (La Liga, Spain)3065MID20Alexis Mac AllisterLiverpool (Premier League, England)2744MID14Exequiel PalaciosBayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany)2738MID5Leandro ParedesBoca Juniors (Primera Liga, Argentina)3177MID18Nico PazComo (Serie A, Italy)218FWD16Thiago AlmadaAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2514FWD9Julian AlvarezAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2651FWD15Nicolas GonzalezJuventus (Serie A, Italy)2850FWD21Jose LopezPalmeiras (Brasileirao, Brazil)253FWD22Lautaro MartinezInter Milan (Serie A, Italy)2875FWD10Lionel MessiInter Miami (MLS, United States)38198FWD17Giuliano SimeoneAtletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain)2311
Argentina World Cup squad analysis
Having won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi is now widely considered the greatest player in football history. Now at 38 years old, however, it’s more important than ever that this Argentina squad support him at best, and stand alone without him at worst.
There are serious decisions for boss Scaloni to make coming into the World Cup. Most pressing will be who starts at center-back for Argentina, as Cristian Romero is struggling with a knee injury, Lisandro Martinez has only just returned from a torn ACL, and Nicolas Otamendi is now 38 years old and slowly losing full match fitness.
Also important will be how to handle Alexis Mac Allister, who was instrumental to their 2022 World Cup title run but had a brutal season at Liverpool and is in extremely poor form.
Argentina injuries ahead of World Cup
While the world is constantly watching the fitness of Messi, the legendary forward’s hamstring injury is not thought to be serious. Behind him, there are hardly any fitness issues to worry about.
The biggest concern is with Tottenham defender Romero, who endured an ugly clash with Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs that saw him suffer a knee injury that ended his Premier League season and put his World Cup status in doubt.
Twenty-one-year-old Valentin Carboni was not necessarily a lock to make the squad, but a torn ACL in early March ended his chances of competing for a World Cup roster spot. The same is true for journeyman defender Juan Foyth who ruptured his Achilles in late January leaving him unable to pass fit.
Star striker Lautaro Martinez was on the sidelines for much of the spring with a calf injury, but he has returned to full fitness to conclude a run to the Scudetto with Inter Milan and should be fine to lead the Argentina attack from the front. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez suffered a broken finger in warmups prior to the Europa League final, and while he stayed in the lineup and completed the match, there will certainly be questions about his ability to perform in the World Cup.
31-year-old Angel Correa has been firing with Mexican club Tigres, but was left off the preliminary roster as he has been largely phased out of the national team since a brief cameo in early 2025.
MORE: A comprehensive look at the injuries affecting star players ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Argentina players to watch at World Cup
Beyond Messi, who alongside his lifelong rival Cristiano Ronaldo will be one of the top players to watch at the entire tournament, the Argentina side is a mish-mash of role players and key contributors who all fit into a well-oiled machine.
Alongside Messi up front are a pair of top-tier European forwards in Julian Alvarez and Martinez, both of whom have had key moments for the national team so far in their careers. For most of his career, Martinez was considered a flop on the big stage, but his Copa America final-winning goal in 2024 erased that narrative entirely.
In midfield, Chelsea playmaker Enzo Fernandez is a versatile midfielder who can create goals for others and score himself, and young Nico Paz is an up-and-coming star who just concluded a breakout year at Italian club Como. Rodrigo De Paul is known affectionately as “Messi’s bodyguard” for his international career spent largely protecting for the global superstar, but he is also a premiere passer and one of the best at unlocking back lines.
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez is coming off a Europa League title with Aston Villa and is an eccentric character who is known for his exceptional record in both cup finals and penalty shootouts.
Who is Argentina’s coach at the World Cup?
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni is considered one of the best — if not the best — national-team manager in the world.
The 48-year-old himself made seven international appearances for Argentina as a player, spending most of his time with Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna before stints at Lazio and Atalanta in Italy after a brief loan spell with West Ham. He joined the Argentina national setup at the youth level in 2018 and was promoted to the senior team shortly thereafter, hired to his first managerial role after the Round of 16 exit in 2018. He had no senior management experience prior to being named Argentina boss, but has blossomed since his appointment.
For a long time, Scaloni was able to lean on the all-time greatest football player in Messi. While the 38-year-old is still around and contributing at a high level, he is no longer the consistently exceptional nor consistently healthy superstar he once was, and therefore Scaloni has had to adjust.
While many coaches flounder in trying to transition away from an aging superstar, Scaloni has done so with utterly incredible precision. He has Argentina firing at a world-class level with Messi both available and sidelined, able to shift between with and without their iconic star seamlessly while still racking up exceptional results.
Scaloni has managed all this while also turning mid-level club role players into bona fide contributors at the international level, as players like De Paul and Nicolas Tagliafico were never club superstars but have managed to contribute to the national team at a very high level for a long period of time.
MORE: Breaking down Mauricio Pochettino’s tactics with the USMNT
Can Argentina replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup could only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules (page 32), “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”
Argentina World Cup qualifying results
Argentina qualified for the World Cup by finishing top of the CONMEBOL qualifying standings by a wide margin. They finished nine points clear of anyone else by winning 12 of their 18 matches, drawing two and losing four.
While the defending World Cup champion used to qualify directly for the next tournament, that hasn’t been the case since 2002.
Argentina World Cup history
Argentina have won three FIFA World Cup titles in their nation’s illustrious history, including the most recent tournament in Qatar four years ago.
They were also crowned world champions in 1978 and 1986, both times led by the legendary Diego Maradona. Additionally, Argentina also made the final and suffered defeat three times, first in the inaugural 1930 World Cup and again in both 1990 and 2014.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 3 (April 2026)
- World Cup titles: 3
- World Cup appearances (last): 18 (Qatar 2022)
- How Argentina qualified, W-L-D: 1st, CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table
- World Cup record:
- Games: 88 GP (47 W, 17D, 24L)
- Goal difference: +51 (152 GS, 101 GA)
Argentina World Cup schedule
As a Pot 1 team, Argentina were drawn into Group J. Their competitors in the group will be Algeria, Austria, and Jordan for the first three matches of the World Cup, where they will then hope to reach the knockout stage.
Pos.TeamPTSGPWLDGFGAGD1.Argentina000000002.Algeria000000003.Austria000000004.Jordan00000000
Argentina and Group J match schedule
DateTime (ET)MatchLocationTue, Jun. 169 p.m.Argentina vs. AlgeriaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Tue, Jun. 1712 a.m.Austria vs. JordanLevi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)Mon, Jun. 221 p.m.Argentina vs. AustriaAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Mon, Jun. 2211 p.m.Jordan vs. AlgeriaLevi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)Sat, Jun. 2710 p.m.Jordan vs. ArgentinaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Sat, Jun. 2710 p.m.Algeria vs. AustriaAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
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