Argentina’s 2026 World roster was officially announced Thursday evening. The squad is headlined by Lionel Messi ahead of his last dance on the greatest international stage and missing some notable names, including Franco Mastantuono. Find the full 26-man World Cup team for Argentina below.
Argentina 2026 World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers
- Juan Musso
- Gerónimo Rulli
- Emiliano Martínez
Defenders
- Leandro Balerdi
- Nicolás Tagliafico
- Gonzalo Montiel
- Lisandro Martínez
- Cristian Romero
- Nicolás Otamendi
- Facundo Medina
- Nahuel Molina
Midfielders
- Leandro Paredes
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Valentín Barco
- Giovani Lo Celso
- Exequiel Palacios
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Enzo Fernández
Attackers
- Julián Alvarez
- Lionel Messi
- Nicolás González
- Thiago Almada
- Guiliano Simeone
- Nico Paz
- Lautaro Martinez
The Argentinian World Cup Squad features a plethora of immensely talented midfielders and forwards, headlined by Lionel Messi, Julián Alvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martinez.
Argentina World Cup Betting Odds
- To Win World Cup: +900
- Projected Top Goalscorer: Lionel Messi (+150)
- To Win Group J: -265
- Top South American Team: +170
Find all of the Argentina World Cup 2026 odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook!
Is This Lionel Messi’s Last World Cup?
Yes, the 2026 World Cup is expected to be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup, as he will almost certainly enter international retirement following the tournament. He got the monkey off his back in 2022, finally taking home the elusive World Cup trophy and adding it to his prestigious trophy collection. The only thing better than winning one World Cup is two, and Messi will be looking to lead his country to back-to-back titles in what is sure to be his last dance on the world’s biggest stage.
Let’s take a look at this Argentina squad. 10 of the 11 starters of the 2022 final against France are in the squad, with the only exception being Ángel Di María, who retired from international duty. I’d expect the starting XI for Argentina’s opening game to look very similar to the team who last played in the World Cup. What I would do to replace Di María if I was Lionel Scaloni, is start Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez up front in a front three alongside Messi and Julián Alvarez. On paper, that’s one of the best attacking trios in the tournament.
Expect Emiliano Martínez to continue as the clear-cut starter in goal for Argentina. In defense, I could see a similar back line but I would expect Lisandro Martínez to be the starter alongside Cristian Romero at center-back. I expect the three midfielders to remain the same. It was a coming-out party for Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez in particular in Qatar, and I would be shocked if it wasn’t those two alongside Rodrigo De Paul in the center of the pitch.
So, how far can this team go? Well, if 2022 is any indication, this team can go all the way. They are bringing back the majority of the team who were victorious four years ago, and now the pressure of finally winning a World Cup for Lionel Messi is finally off their back. This team can play pressure-free in this tournament, and I expect them to make a decent run at another trophy.
