Lionel Messi has amassed 116 goals in 198 appearances for Argentina.
Lionel Messi is set to participate in his sixth World Cup, captaining defending champions Argentina at the 2026 tournament.
The forward, who will turn 39 during the competition, was included in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad on Thursday. He previously led his nation to its third World Cup title in Qatar four years ago, defeating France in a penalty shootout.
With 26 appearances, Messi currently holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by any individual. He will join Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, as the only male players to have featured in six editions of the prestigious tournament this summer.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, recognized as the goalkeeper of the tournament in 2022, has been selected. Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez and Tottenham’s Cristian Romero, who recently recovered from a knee injury, are also included in the squad.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez are among the five British-based players chosen for the finals, to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez are among the 17 players returning to defend the title they won in 2022.
Argentina is placed in Group J and will commence their campaign against Algeria in Kansas City (Wednesday, 17 June, 02:00 BST). They will then play two matches in Dallas, against Austria (Monday, 22 June, 18:00 BST) and Jordan (Sunday, 28 June, 02:00 BST).
Messi was substituted during Inter Miami’s recent Major League Soccer game on Monday, but the club reported that he had not sustained an injury and was experiencing “muscle fatigue” in his left hamstring.
Having made 198 appearances for Argentina, Messi will reach the 200-mark if he participates in both of his country’s friendly matches – against Honduras in Texas (Sunday, 7 June, 01:00 BST) and Iceland in Alabama (Tuesday, 9 June).
Notable absentees include Aston Villa attacker Emi Buendia, whose stunning goal in the Europa League final was named goal of the tournament, forward Paolo Dybala, whose season at Roma has been impacted by injury, and 18-year-old Real Madrid winger Franco Mastantuono.
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni, with one cap, also misses out, after Fifa said he would serve a suspension for the first two games of the tournament due to abusing Vinicius Jr.
Goalkeepers: Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).
Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (River Plate), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis), Ezequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea).
Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan).
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