The Argentine national team begins preparations to defend the world champion title. After the triumph in Qatar, Lionel Scaloni’s team will again be among the most serious candidates for the final victory, and an additional background to the tournament may be Lionel Messi’s farewell to the great national team event. The coach announced the wide squad from which he will select players for the 2026 World Championships.

Argentina wants to defend the World Cup

The Albicelestes will enter the World Cup in North America as defending champions and winners of the Copa América. This means not only great expectations, but also additional pressure. Argentina will have to confirm that the success in Qatar was not a one-time burst of great form, but the result of a stable project built by Scaloni over recent years. The core of the team remains strong, and alongside experienced leaders there are players who will give the team freshness.

Messi traditionally attracts the most attention. For the national team captain, this may be the last great tournament in his career, so his teammates will want to give him a chance for another historic achievement. However, the responsibility for the result will not fall solely on him. Important roles are to be played by, among others, Emiliano Martínez, Lautaro Martínez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul and Cristian Romero.

Argentina’s full squad for the 2026 World Cup

Scaloni announced the list of 55 names from which he will select the final squad for the tournament. Compared to the championship team from Qatar, there were several new faces, including Nico Paz and Valentín Barco. The coach must make a decision by June 1, and before that Argentina will have friendly matches against Honduras and Iceland.

• Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso, Walter Benitez, Facundo Cambeses, James Beltran.
• Defenders: Agustín Giay, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Capaldo, Kevin Mac Allister, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Marcos Senesi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Germán Pezzella, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Lautaro Di Lollo, Zaid Romero, Facundo Medina, Marcos Acuña, Nicolás Tagliafico, Gabriel Rojas.
• Helpers: Máximo Perrone, Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Aníbal Moreno, Milton Delgado, Alan Varela, Ezequiel Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso, Nicolás Domínguez, Emiliano Buendía, Valentín Barco.
• Strikers and wingers: Lionel Messi, Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono, Thiago Almada, Tomás Aranda, Nicolás González, Alejandro Garnacho, Giuliano Simeone, Matías Soulé, Claudio Echeverri, Gianluca Prestianni, Santiago Castro, Lautaro Martínez, José Manuel López, Julián Álvarez, Mateo Pellegrino.

The World Cup in the new format will be a bigger challenge

The 2026 World Cup will be different from the tournament in Qatar. After expanding the number of participants to 48 teams, the path to the trophy will be longer and the winner will have to play eight matches instead of seven. This means that a deep staff may be even more important than before. Argentina will need not only leaders, but also substitutes able to maintain the level in moments of rotation, injuries or suspensions.

That’s why Scaloni’s deep roster is a mix of experience and youth. There are players in the team who know the taste of the biggest matches, but next to them there are players who are still trying to build their position in the national team. This balance may prove crucial, especially since Argentina will be playing under enormous pressure from the defending champions.

Who will Argentina play in the group stage?

Argentina will start the fight for points on June 17 with a match against Algeria. Later, Scaloni’s team will face matches against Austria and Jordan. On paper, the world champions will be the favorites of the group, but the World Cup has repeatedly shown that the first phase can quickly complicate the plans of even the strongest teams.

Before the tournament starts, the coach will have to narrow down the squad and decide who to trust at the most important moment. Argentina goes to North America with a clear goal: to defend the title and give Messi another chance to make history.