The Argentine Football Association on Monday unveiled Argentina’s preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup, with coach Lionel Scaloni naming a 55-man roster from which the final 26-player squad will be selected later this month.
The biggest talking point from the announcement was the omission of Paulo Dybala, who failed to secure a place even in the preliminary list. Dybala, who hasn't represented the Albiceleste since featuring as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia in September 2024, has 40 caps for his country and scored a penalty during Argentina's shoot-out victory over France in the 2022 final.
Teams must submit their final World Cup squads by May 30, while any player ruled out through injury before the tournament begins can only be replaced by someone from the provisional squad.
Alongside Dybala, Angel Correa and Valentin Castellanos were among high-profile absentees. All three had been considered part of Argentina’s long-term plans, but Scaloni opted to look elsewhere this time, handing opportunities to Mateo Pellegrino and Matias Soule instead.
Tottenham's Cristian Romero, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League campaign, has also been named in the preliminary squad, along with Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho and Como's Nico Paz.
Among the goalkeepers, the standout inclusion was Santiago Beltran. The young River Plate keeper was named in a six-man goalkeeping group alongside experienced internationals Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso, Walter Benitez and Facundo Cambeses.
Argentina’s right-back options have also been reshaped following an injury to Nahuel Molina, with Agustin Giay, Kevin Mac Allister and Nicolas Capaldo emerging as possible alternatives.
In defence, Lautaro Di Lollo and Zaid Romero were among the surprise inclusions, while Tomas Palacios, who received a call-up during the previous FIFA window, missed out.
Scaloni also turned to youth in midfield and attack, naming promising talents Milton Delgado and Thomas Aranda in the preliminary squad. Aranda, in particular, has reportedly impressed the Argentina coach in recent months.
The squad also marked the return of Guido Rodriguez, Nicolas Dominguez, Anibal Moreno and Emiliano Buendia. Young attacking talents Alejandro Garnacho, Claudio Echeverri and Gianluca Prestianni were also included.
Despite the size of the preliminary squad, there appear to be only a few spots genuinely up for grabs. The race for the third-choice goalkeeper position is expected to come down to Musso and Benitez, while Scaloni must also decide between Marcos Acuna and Gabriel Rojas for the backup left-back role.
Yet, as always, the spotlight ultimately falls on one man. Lionel Messi. With their World Cup-winning captain once again leading the charge, Argentina will head into the tournament dreaming of defending their crown on football’s biggest stage.
Goalkeepers: Santiago Beltran (River Plate), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Club), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille)
Defenders: Marco Acuna (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors), Agustin Giay (Palmieras), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Lucas Martinez (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), German Pezzella (River Plate), Gabriel Rojas (Racing Club), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Zaid Romero (Getafe), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)
Midfielders: Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Ezequiel Fernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Alex Mac Allister (Liverpool), Anibal Moreno (River Plate), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Maximo Perrone (Como), Guido Rodriguez (Valencia), Alan Varela (Porto)
Forwards: Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Claudio Echeverri (Girona), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Mateo Pellegrino (Parma Calcio), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matis Soule (Roma)
