The defending champions, Argentina have declared their 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and they will be eyeing two back-to-back trophies. Lionel Messi and his men put on quite the show in Qatar in the previous edition and they will be determined to repeat the feat. Lionel Scaloni made the right calls in terms of their squad selection last time out and this time as well, the team looks good enough to go all the way. Some of their key players such as Marcos Acuna and Paulo Dybala have been left out of the squad as well. The form of their key players such as Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo de Paul, Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi will be important to the side’s success.

In the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup, it was a dream run for Argentina that started with a nightmare. They played against Saudi Arabia in their first game of the season, and that was the biggest upset of the World Cup. That setback took a heavy toll at the Argentinians but they bounced back strongly with two wins to top the group. Their journey towards the final was a relatively comfortable one except for the game against Netherlands, when the game went down to the penalty shootout. Lionel Messi’s unshakable form was once again on display as he scored a couple of crucial goals in the finals. They will be hopeful that they can repeat the feat this time out as Lionel Messi will be gearing up for his one last dance in the World Cup.

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Argentina’s Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso

Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martínez, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Nahuel Molina.

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentín Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández.

Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez, Nicolás González, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolás Paz, José López, Lautaro Martínez.

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As the Argentinian side prepares for yet another challenge in the international stage, their first aim will be to break the World Cup curse which has happened to some of the best teams. Germany were eliminated in the group stage in the 2018 FIFA World Cup after winning the title in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Argentina will know that some of their familiar foes has grown with strength and new talents and they will be keen to take them on. Lionel Messi and his men will most definitely get past the group stage but the knockouts could prove to be challenging for the defending champions.