Argentina announced their final squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday. Lionel Messi has been included in the squad for the record sixth time, and is also named captain to lead the side in the 23rd edition of the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Lionel Messi and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo are set to become the first players to feature in the record sixth World Cups. The Argentine legend holds the record for the most World Cup appearances, with 26 matches across five editions, and is chasing Miroslav Klose's all-time record for goals. With 13 goals, Messi is only three goals shy of German's all-time goalscoring record in FIFA World Cup history.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's star winger Franco Mastantuono missed out on Lionel Scaloni's 26-member squad. At 17 years and 296 days old, Mastantuono became Argentina's youngest debutant in June last year. Mastantuono's exclusion came after a poor 2025-26 season, in which he scored just one goal in 23 La Liga appearances.
Argentina squad for FIFA World Cup 2026:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid).
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Facundo Medina (Marseille).
Midfielders: Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Nico Paz (Como).
Also read: Neymar injury scare rocks Brazil ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
Argentina will kick off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Algeria on June 16. They also face Austria and Jordan in Group J fixtures and are expected to make the semifinals.
Lionel Messi eyes record-laden FIFA World Cup 2026
Lionel Messi is enjoying another stellar season with Inter Miami, scoring 12 goals and assisting 7 in 14 appearances so far in 2026. The 38-year-old, however, suffered a hamstring injury during his team's last MLS game against Philadelphia Union on May 24, triggering widespread speculation over his participation in the World Cup.
But his inclusion in Argentina's final squad suggests that the former Barcelona star is on a path of full recovery before the start of the World Cup on June 11.
Lionel Messi broke the record for most World Cup appearances in the 2022 edition and led his team to glory. Now, playing in his final World Cup event, he will look to defend the title and break the all-time goalscoring record.
Messi has scored 13 and assisted 8 goals in 26 World Cup matches. He is only behind Gerd Muller's 14, Brazilian Ronaldo's 15, and Miroslav Klose's 16 goals in the tournament history.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is only two games away from becoming the second player, after Cristiano Ronaldo, to play 200 or more international matches.
Also read: FIFA World Cup 2026: All qualified teams, groups and expanded format explained
