Lionel Messi will appear at a sixth FIFA World Cup this summer, captaining defending champions Argentina as Lionel Scaloni named his official 26-man squad for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico on 28 May. At 38, Messi joins Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only male players in history to appear in six editions of the sport’s biggest event.
The squad confirmation came with a minor note of concern. Messi was substituted during an Inter Miami MLS match on 25 May and diagnosed with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, though his club confirmed no serious injury and no timeline for concern was given. He is expected to play in Argentina’s warm-up friendlies against Honduras on 7 June and Iceland on 9 June, which would bring his international appearance tally to 200.
The biggest surprise in the final squad is the omission of Franco Mastantuono, who was unable to displace the established attackers around Messi despite his growing reputation. Marcos Acuna, one of Argentina’s title-winning squad from Qatar 2022, also missed the cut. Otherwise, Scaloni has retained the core group that lifted the trophy four years ago, blending experience with emerging talent in a squad that looks every inch a genuine contender to become only the third nation in history to win back-to-back World Cups, after Brazil in 1958 and 1962 and Italy in 1934 and 1938.
Seventeen of the 26 players return from the 2022 squad. Emiliano Martinez, who won the Golden Glove in Qatar, is back in goal. Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero anchor the defence. Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez control the midfield, while Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez lead the attack alongside Messi.
Messi holds the record for the most World Cup appearances by any player in history with 26 matches, and will extend that total this summer. His achievement in Qatar in 2022, finally lifting the trophy he had chased his entire career and emulating his idol Diego Maradona’s 1986 triumph, is widely regarded as the defining moment of the greatest individual career in football history. He has since made Inter Miami the dominant force in MLS, winning the MLS Cup last year.
Should Argentina win again in North America this summer, Messi would stand alone in world football, the only player to have won two World Cups as captain of his nation.
Argentina have been drawn in Group J and open their campaign against Algeria in Kansas City on 17 June before facing Austria and Jordan in Dallas on 22 June and 28 June respectively.
Argentina’s full squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Juan Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
