Argentina have played their final World Cup warm-up game (defeating Iceland 3-0) and now the La Albiceleste can officially begin to defend their crown.
Naturally, Lionel Scaloni arrived at World Cup 2026 with one of the best squads at the tournament, as Argentina seek to win a fourth edition of this competition and become the first team to defend the trophy since 1962.
Scaloni has chosen a squad that balances roughly two-thirds of the proven winners from Qatar with a handful of dynamic new faces.
The headline news is that eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, will compete in his sixth World Cup, after appearing in the last five.
Cristian Romero, meanwhile, is included – despite suffering a high-grade partial tear of his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee last month – while 33-year-old Emiliano Martinez may be playing his final World Cup.
There are three Premier League players included in the selection alongside Martinez and Romero: Alexis Mac Allister, Lisandro Martinez Enzo Fernandez, is one of the more senior players this time around.
Two exciting young prospects made the plane too, with Nico Paz the standout, alongside Valentine Barco. But the average age of the squad is 28.62.
The Mood
For Argentina, there has never been an easier build-up to a World Cup than this one. Fans are still basking in the memories of Qatar 2022, as well as the Copa America triumphs of 2021 and 2024. Lionel Scaloni is a borderline saint. The Albiceleste’s most beloved players – Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez and Julian Alvarez – appear in murals across the country. Good results have kept coming, including a memorable Messi-less 4-1 demolition of bitter rivals Brazil in qualifying. They are tactically adaptable, sometimes playing a standard 4-3-3, or a funkier 4-3-1-2 with Messi and either Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez up alongside.
On top of that, a World Cup group containing Algeria, Jordan and Austria is, on paper, very favourable. So, Argentina’s dominance is sure to continue, right? Not quite.
They are without Angel Di Maria, two years after El Fideo’s post-Copa America international retirement, with few players as reliable or decisive in big moments. Scaloni remains searching for alternatives, having deployed Nico Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Nico Paz, and wonderkids Franco Mastantuono and Valentin Carboni, who is injured.
For a manager willing to experiment with personnel and formation, the Argentine FA’s choice of friendlies has not been ideal. The world champions’ suits opted for low FIFA-ranking opponents in remote locations instead of European teams that could have provided stronger tests and yielded more valuable conclusions.
The indestructible bond between fans and the team isn’t exactly mirrored between Scaloni and the higher-ups, with a contract extension not yet confirmed and a clear possibility of the manager seeking a new challenge after the World Cup. For AFA president Claudio Tapia, who once portrayed himself as part of the squad, the situation is not easy. Marred by corruption allegations, he is not allowed to leave the country without judge approval. In the past year, Tapia has also become the antagonist of Argentina’s loose-cannon president, Javier Milei, raising the risk of a politicised World Cup with the players caught in the middle.
Will this affect the atmosphere inside Argentina’s camp in Kansas City? Probably not, as long as neither crosses a line and tries to involve the players as political footballs.
Squad
Argentina World Cup 2026 squad
- GK: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
- GK: Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid)
- GK: Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille)
- DF: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille)
- DF: Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United)
- DF: Facundo Medina (Marseille)
- DF: Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
- DF: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate)
- DF: Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica)
- DF: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
- DF: Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon)
- MF: Valentín Barco (Strasbourg)
- MF: Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami)
- MF: Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
- MF: Giovani Lo Celso (Betis)
- MF: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
- MF: Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)
- MF: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors)
- MF: Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid)
- FW: Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid)
- FW: Julián Alvarez (Atlético Madrid)
- FW: José Manuel López (Palmeiras)
- FW: Lautaro Martínez (Internazionale)
- FW: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- FW: Nico Paz (Como)
- FW: Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid)
Fixtures
Fixtures
- June 16, 2026: Argentina vs Algeria , Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, United States
- June 22, 2026: Argentina vs Austria , AT&T Stadium , Arlington, United States
- June 28, 2026: Jordan vs Argentina , AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States
Recent results
- June 9, 2026: Argentina 3-0 Iceland , Jordan-Hare Stadium, Alabama, United States
- June 7, 2026: Argentina 2-0 Honduras , Kyle Field, Texas, United States
- March 31, 2026: Argentina 5-0 Zambia , La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- March 27, 2026: Argentina 2-1 Mauritania , Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- November 14, 2025: Angola 0-2 Argentina , Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola
- October 14, 2025: Puerto Rico 0-6 Argentina , Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States
- October 10, 2025: Argentina 1-0 Venezuela , Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
- September 10, 2025: Ecuador 1-0 Argentina , Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- September 4, 2025: Argentina 3-0 Venezuela , Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- June 11, 2025: Argentina 1-1 Colombia , Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- June 6, 2025: Chile 0-1 Argentina , Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Pradanos, Santiago, Chile
- March 26, 2025: Argentina 4-1 Brazil , Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- March 21, 2025: Uruguay 0-1 Argentina , Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Group J standings
Argentina are in Group J at World Cup 2026.
Manager
Who is Argentina's manager?
Lionel Scaloni has led Argentina in an incredibly successful period for the nation.
He has won three major trophies in a row, Copa America, World Cup and another Copa America, ending their droughts in both competitions.
His team selections have been aided by some outstanding performances at club level, and well, having Lionel Messi at his disposal.
Argentina's Star Player
Who is Argentina's star player?
Not much is left to be said about Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner reached the summit of football when he lifted the 2022 World Cup, firmly cementing his status as one of the greats.
Messi ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, and has been a huge part of Argentina winning the Copa America back-to-back, with the World Cup sandwiched in between.
The Argentine icon had thought that victory in Qatar would be his last World Cup - but he is included again, and could earn his 200th cap for his country during the tournament if he hasn't already in their pre-tournament friendlies.
