While Argentina’s men’s national football team for the 2026 World Cup was confirmed by head coach Lionel Scaloni on Thursday, it remains to be seen whether the 26 men the coach named will be there when the ball starts to roll at the stadiums across North America.
Several Albiceleste players enter the final stretch of preparations with fitness concerns after enduring a long and demanding club season.
The biggest name with a question mark is clearly that of Lionel Messi. The Argentine captain, who arrived at the training camp in Kansas City on Sunday, is struggling with a strain in the back of his left leg.
After being substituted due to injury in Inter Miami’s last match before the World Cup, he is expected to sit out Argentina’s preparatory friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9 as a precaution.
Another of the big Argentina stars in trouble is goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. The two-time Yashin Trophy winner fractured a finger on his left hand during the warm-up for the Europa League final.
