Argentina World Cup 2026 squad: Full list, predicted lineup, depth chart, latest news

Argentina head to North America as the defending champions after achieving World Cup glory in 2022. 

Lionel Scaloni's side are will be aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy since Brazil won back-to-back World Cups in 1958 and 1962. 

The holders will be hoping to call upon Lionel Messi's services for the tournament, with the 38-year-old yet to officially confirm whether he will play in his sixth World Cup.

With or without Messi, Argentina will begin their on June 16 against Algeria, before they face Austria and Jordan in Group J.

Ahead of the tournament, Sports Mole takes an in-depth dive into Argentina's World Cup 2026 squad.

Argentina World Cup 2026 full squad list

Argentina have publicly announced their preliminary 55-man squad for the tournament. 

Scaloni's task will be to whittle that longlist down to a 26-man squad before the deadline on May 30. 

Argentina World Cup 2026 squad numbers

Argentina's World Cup 2026 squad numbers will be confirmed after Lionel Scaloni makes his final 26-man selection. 

Argentina World Cup 2026 predicted XI

Scaloni will likely set up his team in a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 formation during the course of the tournament.

If he opts for the latter, Scaloni would start with a front three of Thiago Almada, Julian Alvarez and Messi, as long as the latter makes himself available. 

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez will surely be one of the first names on the teamsheet, and he could feature in the middle of the park with Leandro Paredes and Alexis Mac Allister.

Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi are candidates to form Scaloni's centre-back pairing, although they face competition from the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Marcos Senesi. 

Argentina predicted XI for World Cup 2026: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Fernandez, Paredes, Mac Allister; Messi, Almada, Alvarez

Argentina World Cup 2026 squad latest news

Messi is yet to publicly confirm whether he will play at the World Cup, although his inclusion in the preliminary squad suggests he could make the final cut. 

Meanwhile, Cristian Romero is working to recover from an injury sustained in Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on April 12.

The current expectation is that the centre-back will prove his fitness in time for the 2026 tournament.

As for key forward Julian Alvarez, he is struggling with an ankle injury in the latter stages of Atletico Madrid's season, but he should be ready to represent his country in North America.