Never stop dreaming—a childhood photo and a World Cup place
Messi will play his sixth World Cup; 17 Qatar champions return while 9 including Acuña, Dybala, and Di María were excluded from the squad. Surprise inclusions: Giovani Lo Celso, Facundo Medina, and José 'Flaco' López made the cut despite injuries or previous doubts about their selection.
- Messi will play his sixth World Cup; 17 Qatar champions return to the squad
- Nine 2022 World Cup winners excluded, including Marcos Acuña, Paulo Dybala, and Ángel Di María
- Argentina debuts June 13 against Algeria in Group J; also faces Austria and Jordan
- Surprise inclusions: Giovani Lo Celso, Facundo Medina, José López; Acuña left out despite moving to River and rehabbing injuries
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced Argentina's 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup, featuring Messi in his sixth tournament but excluding 2022 champion Marcos Acuña. The squad includes 17 Qatar winners and notable inclusions like Lo Celso and Facundo Medina.
Nineteen days before Argentina's World Cup debut, Lionel Scaloni released his 26-man roster on Thursday evening, and the list carried the weight of both continuity and rupture. Lionel Messi will play his sixth World Cup—a milestone that places him in rare historical company—but the absence of Marcos Acuña, the left-back who lifted the trophy in Qatar two years ago, sent a sharper message about the coach's willingness to move forward without one of his most trusted defenders.
Scaloni built the squad around a core of seventeen players who won in 2022, anchoring the team in proven success. But he also made calculated bets on youth and form. Giovani Lo Celso, whose injury history had cast doubt on his availability, made the cut. So did Facundo Medina, the Marseille defender who turned 27 on Wednesday and posted a childhood photo to Instagram with the words "Never stop dreaming"—a moment that captured the emotional weight of selection for a player making his first World Cup appearance. José López, known as Flaco, learned of his own inclusion from a journalist while being interviewed after a Palmeiras match; he would play that same night against Junior de Barranquilla, delivering three assists in the first half as his new reality settled in.
The nine Qatar champions left behind told their own story. Franco Armani, Germán Pezzella, Guido Rodríguez, Juan Foyth, Paulo Dybala, Alejandro Gómez, Ángel Correa, and Ángel Di María joined Acuña in the excluded group—a clean break from the old guard that suggested Scaloni was willing to sacrifice defensive solidity for attacking velocity. Acuña, who had left Europe for River to secure playing time and followed a rigorous physical reconditioning program after a string of injuries, posted a cryptic Instagram story with his former Sevilla teammate Erik Lamela: "The last dance." The message carried resignation, perhaps even bitterness.
The roster reflected Scaloni's tactical philosophy: eight forwards, seven midfielders, eight defenders, and three goalkeepers. Nicolás Paz, the 21-year-old Como winger who is a Boca fan, attended a Copa Libertadores match at La Bombonera hours after learning of his selection—his first World Cup at an age when most players are still finding their footing. Enzo Fernández, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, and Leandro Paredes anchored the midfield, though Paredes raised immediate concern when he was seen massaging his right hamstring during warm-ups before Boca's crucial Libertadores match, a potential injury cloud hanging over the captain's participation.
The announcement itself became a media event. The AFA released the list in a video filmed at the Ezeiza training ground, featuring Scaloni with an envelope and Marito, the team's legendary kit man, who has become a minor celebrity in Argentine advertising. The presentation carried ceremonial weight—this was not merely a roster announcement but a coronation of sorts, a declaration that Argentina intended to defend its title against all comers.
Clubs around the world rushed to congratulate their players. River Plate, which has supplied more players to Argentina's national team than any other institution, saluted Gonzalo Montiel and the five other former Millonarios in the squad. Bayer Leverkusen celebrated Exequiel Palacios. Lanús, where Flaco López began his career, posted: "From Cabrero and Guidi to the World Cup. You are Granate Pride." The moment belonged not just to Scaloni but to the entire ecosystem of Argentine football.
What remained unspoken was the question hanging over Acuña: why had he done everything right—moved back to South America, rehabilitated his body, maintained his form—only to be left behind? Scaloni had chosen a different path, one that prioritized attacking ambition over the defensive experience of a World Cup winner. Argentina would debut on June 13 against Algeria in Group J, alongside Austria and Jordan, carrying the weight of defending a crown and the uncertainty of whether this new configuration could bear it.
Citações Notáveis
I didn't see the list yet. I'm finding out now. I'm very happy with the work I'm doing. I try to repay the confidence they've shown in me game by game. Happy and fulfilling a dream of playing a World Cup for my country.— José López (Flaco), after learning of his selection from a journalist
Never stop dreaming, please.— Facundo Medina, posting on Instagram after his selection
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Scaloni leave out Acuña when he'd done everything to get back in—moved to River, rehabbed his injuries, played regularly?
That's the question Acuña himself must be asking. Scaloni seems to have decided that the team needs more attacking depth and vertical speed than defensive solidity. Acuña represents the old guard; Scaloni is building something different.
But he's a World Cup winner. Doesn't that count for something?
It does, but only so much. Scaloni has seventeen Qatar champions already. He's not abandoning experience—he's choosing which experience matters. Acuña's absence says: we trust our defense enough to take more risks going forward.
What about the surprises—Lo Celso, Medina, Flaco López? Were those calculated risks or desperation moves?
They're calculated. Lo Celso has injury concerns, yes, but he's a player Scaloni knows and trusts. Medina is young but proven at Marseille. López is a pure bet on form and hunger. These aren't panic selections; they're bets on players who want it badly.
Messi playing his sixth World Cup—does that change the dynamic of the team?
It changes everything and nothing. Messi is still Messi, but he's also 39 now. The team can't be built around waiting for him to solve problems. It has to be built to support him, to give him space and runners. That's what the attacking depth is for.
Is this team better than the one that won in Qatar?
Different, not necessarily better. More attack-minded, certainly. Whether that's an advantage depends on the opponents and the moment. Scaloni is saying: we won that way; now we'll try this way.