Argentina officially submitted their 55-man provisional squad on Monday ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The preliminary list features a blend of established icons, emerging talents, and several shock exclusions, all competing for the final 26 places as the Albiceleste prepare to defend the title they secured at Qatar 2022.

Lionel Scaloni's selection is once again spearheaded by Lionel Messi and bolstered by stars like Julian Alvarez and Emiliano Martinez, but it also contains significant domestic surprises. River Plate shot-stopper Santiago Beltran and Boca Juniors midfielder Tomas Aranda have both received unexpected call-ups to the senior setup.

However, the most striking news involves those left behind, with West Ham forward Valentin Castellanos and Roma's Paulo Dybala both failing to make the cut. Similarly, there is no place for Tigres' Angel Correa or Benfica's Enzo Barrenechea.

Getafe defender Zaid Romero, Boca Juniors starlets Lautaro di Lollo and Milton Delgado, Girona's Claudio 'Diablito' Echeverri, and Parma marksman Mateo Pellegrino have all been integrated into the expanded group.

Gianluca Prestianni is another eye-catching inclusion in Scaloni's preliminary plans. Although the Benfica man lacks senior international experience, he would be required to serve a two-match suspension at the tournament if selected, following a disciplinary incident involving Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in the Champions League.

While the squad is anchored by the core that triumphed in Qatar and navigated the South American qualifiers, several fringe players are still hoping to force their way into the final reckoning. Real Madrid prodigy Franco Mastantuono and Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho are both vying for a plane ticket despite limited game time to date.

Scaloni’s primary selection dilemmas appear to be in the backline. The manager's continued search for consistency at both full-back and centre-half is reflected in the heavy defensive contingent named in this preliminary longlist.

Argentina have been drawn against Algeria, Austria, and Jordan in Group J for the tournament, which will be staged across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Argentina's 55-man preliminary squad

- Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Club) and Santiago Beltran (River Plate).

- Defenders: Agustin Giay (Palmeiras), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Capaldo (Hamburg), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Lucas Martinez Quarta (River Plate), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), German Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors), Zaid Romero (Getafe), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Marcos Acuna (River Plate), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon) and 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), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Matias Soule (Roma), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Tomas Aranda (Boca Juniors), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Paz (Como) and Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid).

- Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Claudio Echeverri (Girona), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid) and Mateo Pellegrino (Parma).

F. Mastantuono

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