Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Argentina is a three-time FIFA World Cup champion, having won the title in 1978, 1986, and 2022. The 1978 title came on home soil under coach Cesar Luis Menotti, with Mario Kempes winning the Golden Boot. In 1986, Diego Maradona led the team to glory in Mexico in one of the greatest individual World Cup performances of all time. The 2022 triumph in Qatar, under Lionel Scaloni, saw Lionel Messi claim the Golden Ball as Argentina defeated France on penalties in one of the most dramatic finals in tournament history. Argentina has appeared at the World Cup 19 times in total, including two further final appearances as runners-up in 1930 and 2014.

Qualification

Argentina qualified for the 2026 World Cup as winners of the CONMEBOL qualifying campaign, finishing first with 38 points from 18 matches (12 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses). They were the first CONMEBOL nation to clinch their spot, securing qualification with four matchdays remaining. The team finished nine points clear of Ecuador in second place. Lionel Messi scored eight goals during the qualifying campaign. Argentina notably defeated arch-rivals Brazil both home and away on the road to the tournament.

Preparation

Lionel Scaloni announced the final 26-man squad on May 28, 2026, retaining 17 players from the 2022 title-winning side. Franco Mastantuono and Marcos Acuna were the headline omissions, while Leonardo Balerdi, Facundo Medina, Gonzalo Montiel, Giovani Lo Celso and striker Jose Manuel 'Flaco' Lopez came in. The squad travels to the United States, where Argentina base their pre-tournament camp before two warm-up friendlies: against Honduras on June 6 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, and against Iceland on June 9 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Messi, who will compete in a record sixth World Cup, headlines the group but joins carrying a left-hamstring fatigue overload and is not expected to be fully fit; Scaloni still expects him available for the June 16 opener against Algeria. Cristian Romero, recovering from a knee ligament tear, is targeting the warm-up friendlies. Argentina are strong favourites to defend their title and begin the tournament in Group J as the top seeds.

Latest news

Scaloni names final 26-man squad; Mastantuono and Acuna left out

· squad

Lionel Scaloni announced Argentina's official 26-man World Cup squad on 28 May 2026, keeping 17 of the 2022 title winners and captain Lionel Messi for a record sixth World Cup. The headline omissions were Franco Mastantuono and Qatar 2022 winner Marcos Acuna. The list features three goalkeepers, eight defenders and a blend of veterans and emerging talent.

Five new faces in: Balerdi, Medina, Montiel, Lo Celso and Flaco Lopez

· squad

Relative to the provisional list, Scaloni's final 26 added Marseille pair Leonardo Balerdi and Facundo Medina, River Plate full-back Gonzalo Montiel, Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Palmeiras striker Jose Manuel 'Flaco' Lopez. Geronimo Rulli, Balerdi and Medina give Marseille three representatives in the squad.

Romero included and on track to feature in June warm-up friendlies

· injuries

Cristian Romero, who suffered a partial knee ligament tear that ended his Tottenham season, was named in the final squad and is reported to be on track to recover for Argentina's June warm-up matches against Honduras (6 June) and Iceland (9 June) ahead of the World Cup, though he may arrive short of match rhythm.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Emiliano MartinezGKAston Villa
Geronimo RulliGKOlympique Marseille
Juan MussoGKAtletico Madrid
Cristian RomeroDFTottenham Hotspur
Leonardo BalerdiDFOlympique Marseille
Gonzalo MontielDFCA River Plate
Facundo MedinaDFOlympique Marseille
Lisandro MartinezDFManchester United
Nicolas OtamendiDFSL Benfica
Nahuel MolinaDFAtletico Madrid
Nicolas TagliaficoDFOlympique Lyon
Alexis Mac AllisterMFLiverpool
Enzo FernandezMFChelsea
Rodrigo De PaulMFInter Miami CF
Leandro ParedesMFCA Boca Juniors
Exequiel PalaciosMFBayer 04 Leverkusen
Giovani Lo CelsoMFReal Betis
Nico PazMFComo 1907
Valentin BarcoMFRC Strasbourg Alsace
Lionel MessiFWInter Miami CF
Lautaro MartinezFWInter Milan
Julian AlvarezFWAtletico Madrid
Nicolas GonzalezFWAtletico Madrid
Jose Manuel LopezFWPalmeiras
Thiago AlmadaFWAtletico Madrid
Giuliano SimeoneFWAtletico Madrid

Recent results

  • 2023-09-07 — ARG 1-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2023-09-12 — BOL 0-3 ARG (qualification)
  • 2023-10-12 — ARG 1-0 PAR (qualification)
  • 2023-10-17 — PER 0-2 ARG (qualification)
  • 2023-11-16 — ARG 0-2 URU (qualification)
  • 2023-11-21 — BRA 0-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2024-03-22 — ARG 3-0 SLV (friendly)
  • 2024-03-26 — ARG 3-1 CRC (friendly)
  • 2024-06-09 — ARG 1-0 ECU (friendly)
  • 2024-06-14 — ARG 4-1 GUA (friendly)
  • 2024-09-05 — ARG 3-0 CHI (qualification)
  • 2024-09-10 — COL 2-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2024-10-10 — VEN 1-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2024-10-15 — ARG 6-0 BOL (qualification)
  • 2024-11-14 — PAR 2-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2024-11-19 — ARG 1-0 PER (qualification)
  • 2025-03-21 — URU 0-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2025-03-25 — ARG 4-1 BRA (qualification)
  • 2025-06-05 — CHI 0-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2025-06-10 — ARG 1-1 COL (qualification)
  • 2025-09-04 — ARG 3-0 VEN (qualification)
  • 2025-09-09 — ECU 1-0 ARG (qualification)
  • 2025-10-10 — ARG 1-0 VEN (friendly)
  • 2025-10-14 — PUR 0-6 ARG (friendly)
  • 2025-11-14 — ANG 0-2 ARG (friendly)
  • 2026-03-27 — ARG 2-1 MTN (friendly)
  • 2026-03-31 — ARG 5-0 ZAM (friendly)

Predict Group J →