Messi named in Argentina's World Cup squad for a record-equalling sixth tournament
Lionel Scaloni has named his 26-man Argentina squad for the World Cup, and the headline is the one everyone expected: Lionel Messi is in, and he will captain the holders at a sixth World Cup. That is a men's record he now shares with Cristiano Ronaldo, the only other player to reach the mark.
Scaloni calms the Messi injury talk
Messi's place had been the one genuine question. A knock picked up with Inter Miami had raised doubts about whether he would be fit and ready, but Scaloni moved quickly to play down the seriousness of the issue and named his captain without hesitation. For a player who has carried Argentina through the last decade and lifted the trophy in 2022, leaving him out was never the likely outcome.
At 38, this is almost certainly Messi's final World Cup, and Argentina have built the tournament around getting the best out of him while the legs around him do the running.
The Qatar core stays intact
Scaloni has kept faith with the spine of the side that won in Qatar. Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's club team-mate at Inter Miami, is in midfield alongside Chelsea's Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister. Julián Álvarez leads the attacking options and Nicolás Otamendi anchors a defence that has barely changed in four years. It is a squad that blends the champions of 2022 with a handful of newer names, rather than a rebuild.
Mastantuono headlines the omissions
The cut that drew the most comment was Franco Mastantuono. The Real Madrid teenager has been one of the brighter young talents in the game this season, but he could not force his way into a forward line already stacked with proven international performers. Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi and Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendía also missed the final list.
Argentina's road begins in Kansas City
The defending champions have been drawn in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan. They open against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, before facing Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27, both at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. On paper it is a kind group, the sort holders want, and anything other than top spot would count as a stumble. The harder questions come later, but Argentina will fancy starting their title defence in comfort.
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