Messi named in preliminary Argentina World Cup squad

Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina’s preliminary squad for the World Cup.

Lionel Scaloni has named a 55-player group for now, which includes Messi, despite the Argentina captain not yet officially confirming that he will play at the tournament.

Messi also holds the all-time record for most World Cup appearances, with 26 matches played.

During their triumphant 2022 tournament in Qatar, Messi became the first player, alongside Kylian Mbappe, to record 10 direct goal involvements at a World Cup since Diego Maradona in 1986.

Messi is also the only player in World Cup history to win the Golden Ball on two separate occasions (2014 and 2022), with the latter campaign seeing him become the first player on record (since 1966) to score and assist in three different games in a single edition.

#SelecciónMayor Prelista oficial de futbolistas reservados para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026.https://t.co/qVuJ19hgkk

— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) May 11, 2026

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.

However, Roma’s Paulo Dybala has missed out on the squad; he has not appeared for Argentina since 2024.

Dybala has won 40 caps for his country and scored a penalty during Argentina’s shoot-out victory over France in the 2022 final.