Argentina Names 55-Player Preliminary World Cup Squad — Messi Confirmed In; Dybala, Correa, Six Qatar 2022 Winners Omitted

The Argentine Football Association publicly released its 55-man preliminary World Cup squad on May 11 — the FIFA-mandated provisional deadline day. Lionel Messi leads the list at age 38, alongside Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, and Emiliano Martínez. Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) returns after being absent from international duty since September 2024 — a notable rehabilitation after earlier public friction with coach Lionel Scaloni. Lisandro Martínez is also included after recovering from a serious foot injury. Six members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad in Qatar are absent from the provisional list, including Paulo Dybala (Roma, 40 caps — omitted due to declining form and injury), Ángel Di María (retired from international duty), Franco Armani (retired from international duty), Ángel Correa (ex-Atlético Madrid), and Alejandro 'Papu' Gómez. New inclusions: Mateo Pellegrino (Parma) and Matías Soulé (Roma) fill attacking roles vacated by omissions. The preliminary list is a working pool that FIFA does not publish publicly — Argentina's final 26-man squad must be submitted to FIFA by May 30, with all 48 national squads published simultaneously by FIFA on June 2. Argentina are drawn in Group J and face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, with matches in Kansas City. Scaloni has consistently maintained that the decision on Messi's final inclusion rests 'entirely with him.' Argentina open Group J on June 14 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium.