Messi leads tango dreams at the World Cup
The Argentina national football team has announced its preliminary roster in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. It will host the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Manager Lionel Scaloni revealed a preliminary list of 55 players, led by the legendary Lionel Messi. Messi is preparing to play in the sixth edition of his World Cup history, in a new historic achievement added to his busy international career.
But the 47-year-old World Cup winner sparked a storm of controversy by excluding one of the stars who helped him win the tournament four years ago, by excluding Roma star Paulo Dybala, who made 40 international appearances for Argentina and was part of their win in Qatar.
Argentina's Gianluca Prestiani has also been confirmed to be absent from the first two World Cup matches. This is due to the punishment imposed on him following the incident that brought him together with Brazilian Vinicius Junior, the Brazilian winger, during the Champions League competitions.
UEFA had earlier announced the Benfica player's suspension for 6 matches. This is due to the events of the match against Real Madrid.
Argentina face two Arab teams
The 2022 World Cup champions in Qatar will open the 23rd edition of the current tournament by facing the Algerian team, then facing Austria, and concluding the group stage matches with a meeting with Jordan.
The list is a mandatory step before the announcement of the final list of 26 players, which will be announced on June 2, just nine days before the official start of the tournament, which runs until July 19.
The Argentine national team enters the tournament as the defending champions. This came after they were crowned the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, following a thrilling victory over France in the final.
Argentina national team roster
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Jerronimo Rolli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Campesis (Argentine Racing), Santiago Beltran (River Plate).
Defenders: Agustín Gialle (Palmeiras), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Capaldo (Hamburg), Kevin Mac Allister (Union St. Gillois), Lucas Martinez Quarta (River Plate), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Germán Bezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Lautaro de Lulu (Boca Juniors), Zed Romero (Getafe), Facundo Medina (Olympique de Marseille), Marcos Aquina River Plata – Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais) – Gabriel Rojas (Argentine Racing)
Midfielders: Maximo Perroni (Como), 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), Exquiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovanni Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Franco Mastantono (Real Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Nicolas González (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matthias Sully (Roma), Claudio Ichiferi (Girona), Gianluca Prestiani (Benfica), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Matteo Pellegrino (Parma).