Lionel Messi headlines Argentina preliminary World Cup roster as title defense begins

Another hurdle was cleared for Lionel Messi to take part in the 2026 World Cup, with the superstar attacker named to Argentina's preliminary World Cup roster. Argentina announced Monday, May 11, that manager Lionel Scaloni sent a 55-man list to FIFA with Messi's name included on the squad. The 38-year-old is yet to confirm that he'll take part in Argentina's title defense after leading the Albiceleste to the top prize in the 2022 edition.

But he is widely expected to participate in the tournament that will take place in North America, where he currently plays his club soccer with Inter Miami. An interview was published last week in which Messi spoke about Argentina's hopes of repeating and the role he could play in that title defense. Now, he formally is a candidate to make Scaloni's final 26-man roster, due to FIFA on June 1 ahead of a June 2 announcement.

While teams are not under any obligation to publish their provisional roster, Argentina announced its list to the public. Teams also are allowed to use up to 60 slots, meaning Scaloni opted to leave five places blank. The manager has said he hopes to have Messi in the fold but can't force a player to do anything he doesn't want to do.

"It’s a question that’s more for him, but for my part you already know what I think," he said at a news conference in March. "I’ll do everything possible for him to be there. " Who joins Messi on Argentina's preliminary World Cup roster?