Lionel Messi will lead defending champion Argentina at a record sixth World Cup this summer in North America.
The 38-year-old was selected in coach Lionel Scaloni’s 26-player squad Thursday. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to become the first men to play in six tournaments.
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His participation was put in jeopardy last week after he exited the field during Inter Miami’s MLS game against the Philadelphia Union with an injury.
Inter Miami later confirmed that Messi suffered from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring after initial diagnosis indicated an overload. The timeline for his return to the field will now depend on his day-to-day progress.
“The initial updates aren’t entirely bad. Now, we must wait to see how he evolves, pending the results of further tests to see if they confirm the initial medical reports,” Scaloni said in an interview with DSports earlier this week. “We all wished Messi could have joined the squad fully fit, but that isn’t the reality.
“It’s not just him; many players have yet to fully recover from injuries. Our main priority now is their rehabilitation to ensure they reach the World Cup in peak condition.”
Argentina is set to face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the tournament’s group stage, debuting on June 16 in Kansas City. The team will also participate in friendlies against Honduras and Iceland in preparation for the World Cup.
Here they are. These are the guys. pic.twitter.com/xU2lcpJnpW
— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) May 28, 2026
Messi is one of 17 players from the last World Cup who were named by Scaloni for the tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, when Argentina will attempt to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962.
Among those returning are Messi’s Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández and Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who fractured the ring finger of his right hand during last week’s Europa League final in which Aston Villa defeated Freiburg, has also been confirmed.
Scaloni also included defender Cristian Romero, who is recovering from a sprained collateral ligament in his right knee sustained in mid-April while playing for Tottenham, and fullbacks Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, who scored the decisive penalty kicks in the 2002 World Cup shootout against France, both of whom are recovering from muscle injuries.
Notably left out of Scaloni’s squad were Real Madrid teenager Franco Mastantuono, Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Emiliano Buendía of Aston Villa.
Argentina 2026 World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid).
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolás 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 Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Valentín Barco (Strasbourg).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Nico Paz (Como).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
