Messi included in Argentina's preliminary World Cup squad
Lionel Messi was named in Argentina's preliminary squad for this summer's World Cup despite there being no confirmation that he'll participate at the tournament.
Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni is also included in the reigning champion's 55-man roster despite FIFA recently extending his ban for verbally abusing Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in February. As a result, the 20-year-old, who has just one cap for Argentina, is unavailable for his country's first two matches at the World Cup.
The deadline for teams to submit their final 26-man squad is June 2.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said in March that captain Messi was still undecided over his involvement in North America. "We know whatever he decides will be best for the team and for him," Scaloni added. "We hope he will be there."
The 38-year-old remains a dominant player for Inter Miami, scoring nine goals and providing three primary assists over 11 appearances in the 2026 Major League Soccer season.
One expected absentee from the provisional roster is Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli, who tore his ACL while on international duty with Argentina in March. Roma's Paulo Dybala, 32, was also omitted from the squad and hasn't represented his country since 2024.
Argentina opens its World Cup defense against Algeria on June 16 before rounding out its Group J fixtures against Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27).
Argentina's 55-man squad
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Club), Santiago Beltran (River Plate)
Defenders: Agustin Giay (Palmeiras), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Lucas Martinez (River Plate), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (River Plate), Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors), Zaid Romero (Getafe), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Marco Acuna (River Plate), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gabriel Rojas (Racing Club)
Midfielders: Maximo Perrone (Como), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Guido Rodriguez (Valencia), Anibal Moreno (River Plate), Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors), Alan Varela (Porto), Ezequiel Fernandez (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
Forwards: Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matias Soule (Roma), Claudio Echeverri (Girona), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Mateo Pellegrino (Parma)