Led by Lionel Messi, who is heading to his sixth and final World Cup, Argentina’s 26-man squad includes Nicolas Otamendi, the center-back who bid farewell to Benfica after six seasons with the Eagles and is now on his way to River Plate.
On the other hand, Gianluca Prestianni, the 20-year-old winger from Benfica who already has one international cap, and Alan Varela, the 24-year-old midfielder from FC Porto with two senior call-ups, both part of the initial 55-man provisional squad, were left out of the final list.
If he had been selected, Prestianni would have had to serve a suspension for the first two matches of the tournament due to homophobic conduct towards Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during a Champions League match in February at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
Compared to the 2022 World Cup, Scaloni has kept most of the team’s core, such as goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defenders Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Otamendi, and Nicolas Tagliafico, midfielders Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Leandro Paredes, and forwards Lisandro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, and Messi.
With some new faces, Scaloni has also called up young players like Nico Paz, Valentin Barco, and Giuliano Simeone, while Mantantuono from Real Madrid is notably absent.
Argentina will face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan in Group J of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Argentina squad list:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico de Madrid);
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico de Madrid), 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 Juniors), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico de Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico de Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico de Madrid);
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julian Alvarez (Atletico de Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), and Flaco Lopez (Palmeiras).