Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez lead Argentina's preliminary 2026 World Cup roster
Lionel Messi is among 10 of the 11 players from Argentina's 2022 World Cup final starting lineup named to a preliminary roster for the 2026 World Cup. File Photo by Chris Brunskill/UPI May 11 (UPI) -- Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez lead Argentina's preliminary 55-player roster for the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine Football Association announced Monday. Winger Angel Di Maria, who retired in 2024, is the only player who was in Argentina's starting lineup for their win over France in the 2022 World Cup final and is not on the roster for the 2026 edition of the tournament.
Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister, Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez and Como's Nico Paz join Messi, Martinez and Alvarez as other notable players included on the preliminary roster. The full roster can be seen here . The Argentines, who rank No.
3 team in the FIFA world rankings, are among the Top 5 favorites to win the World Cup. No. 2 Spain is the favorite for the title.
Top-ranked France, No. 4 England and No. 6 Brazil are among the other Top 5 expended contenders.
Messi, 38, was named the Golden Ball winner -- given to the best player -- at the 2022 World Cup. He totaled seven goals, including two in the final. He also logged three assists, which tied for the most in the tournament.