Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina’s 55-man provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup as coach Lionel Scaloni prepares to defend the title won in Qatar.
The list blends members of the 2022 winning squad with emerging talents from Europe. The main surprise was the omission of Paulo Dybala, who has 40 caps for Argentina. Former Atlético Madrid forward Ángel Correa and Valentín Castellanos were also left out.
Messi, now at Inter Miami, is set for what could be his final World Cup. Scaloni signaled a tactical shift by selecting Parma’s Mateo Pellegrino and Roma’s Matías Soulé over more experienced attackers. Soulé has impressed in Serie A despite earlier concerns about limited national team chances.
The squad will be cut to 26 players before May 30 ahead of the tournament in North America.
Several Premier League players made the list, including Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández. Alejandro Garnacho returned after last playing for Argentina in September 2024.
Scaloni also moved to integrate younger players, calling up teenage prospects Franco Mastantuono of Real Madrid and Claudio Echeverri of Girona. Emiliano Buendía of Aston Villa and Nicolás Domínguez of Nottingham Forest earned recalls after dropping out of the setup in recent months.
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