Argentina announces squad for 2026 World Cup: One last chance for Messi.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The Argentine national team has announced its official 26-player squad for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Messi promises to shine in his final appearance at the tournament.

In the early hours of May 29th, coach Lionel Scaloni announced the 26-player squad for the 2026 World Cup. Overall, the coach has retained the core of the Argentina team that won the tournament four years ago.

Messi will be participating in his sixth World Cup (Photo: Getty).

In goal, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is likely to remain the first-choice option at the North American tournament. Argentina's defense boasts prominent names such as Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Lisandro Martinez. The midfield still includes familiar faces like Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Leandro Paredes. Up front, Argentina features top strikers like Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, and Lionel Messi.

Conversely, striker Alejandro Garnacho was not called up for the 2026 World Cup. The reason is that he lost form playing for Chelsea last season. Similarly, young midfielder Franco Mastantuono did not perform well at Real Madrid.

Emiliano Buendia was dropped from the squad by manager Scaloni despite his outstanding performances for Aston Villa (Photo: Getty).

Even midfielder Emiliano Buendia, who played exceptionally well in Aston Villa's Europa League winning campaign, wasn't trusted by manager Scaloni.

Messi will make his final World Cup appearance when he turns 39. If he plays, the striker will set a record by participating in six World Cups (equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's achievement). Although coach Scaloni admitted that Messi is not yet in his best physical condition, he still believes the player will recover from his injury in time for the 2026 World Cup.

In the upcoming tournament, Argentina will be in the same group as Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. They will play their opening match against Algeria on June 16th.

List of Argentina's squad for the 2026 World Cup:

Goalkeepers : Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico).

Defenders : Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Facundo Medina (Marseille).

Midfielders : Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nico Paz (Como), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Leandro Paredes (Boca), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Leverkusen), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico), Thiago Almada (Atletico).

Strikers : Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julian Alvarez (Atletico), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Flaco Lopez (Palmeiras).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/argentina-cong-bo-doi-hinh-du-world-cup-2026-lan-cuoi-cho-messi-20260529085408276.htm