Argentina at World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi and 10 Premier League stars feature in Lionel Scaloni's preliminary squad

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has included 10 Premier League players and Lionel Messi in his 55-man preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup.

La Albiceleste will travel to North America with hopes of retaining the trophy they won in December 2022.

Messi starred in Argentina's triumphant campaign in Qatar, but there is some doubt as to whether he will feature in his country's trophy defence.

Scaloni's provisional squad suggests that Messi plans to play in the 2026 tournament, with the Inter Miami captain one of 55 players on the longlist.

Messi is just two games away from reaching 200 international appearances, something that has only previously been achieved in men's international football by Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa and the Argentine's old rival, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Which Premier League players feature in Argentina's provisional squad?

Scaloni's squad also features 10 players who are currently plying their trade in the Premier League.

Chelsea duo Enzo Fernandez and Alejandro Garnacho have made the longlist, although the latter may have his work cut out to make the final squad, given the fact that he has not played for his country since November 2024.

Like Chelsea, Aston Villa have two players on the list in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and attacker Emiliano Buendia.

There are also spots for Crystal Palace's Walter Benitez, Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi, Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero, Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister and Nottingham Forest's Nicolas Dominguez.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are the best-represented team on Scaloni's provisional list with six players: Juan Musso, Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez.

Who has missed out on Argentina's 55-man longlist?

Paulo Dybala was part of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad, but he will not be part of the group at the 2026 tournament.

While he is a high-profile name, Dybala's omission is no real surprise due to his injury struggles and his lack of involvement in recent camps.

In fact, the 32-year-old has not played for his country since featuring as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Colombia in September 2024.

There is also no Angel Di Maria, who called time on his international career following Argentina's triumphant 2024 Copa America campaign.

Argentina's 55-man preliminary World Cup squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Santiago Beltran (River Plate), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Club), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille)

Defenders: Marco Acuna (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors), Agustin Giay (Palmieras), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Lucas Martinez (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), German Pezzella (River Plate), Gabriel Rojas (Racing Club), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Zaid Romero (Getafe), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)

Midfielders: Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Ezequiel Fernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Alex Mac Allister (Liverpool), Anibal Moreno (River Plate), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Maximo Perrone (Como), Guido Rodriguez (Valencia), Alan Varela (Porto)

Forwards: Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Claudio Echeverri (Girona), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Mateo Pellegrino (Parma Calcio), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matis Soule (Roma)