Lionel Messi is set to play in his sixth World Cup with Argentina [Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images via Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 10 Jun 202610 Jun 2026
Previous World Cup appearances: 18 Best performance: Winners (1978, 1986, 2022) First appearance: 1930 (Uruguay) Top goal scorer: Lionel Messi (13) Most appearances: Lionel Messi (26) Player to watch: Lionel Messi FIFA world ranking: 3
Defending champions Argentina are bidding to become the first side since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles.
After Argentina beat France in an incredible final in Qatar 2022, many thought it would be the crowning glory of Lionel Messi’s career and that he would have retired from international football by 2026.
But the Inter Miami player, who turns 39 during the tournament, plays on and is aiming to repeat the feat in North America, in what really will be his final World Cup.
However, winning this tournament appears to be even harder than lifting the last edition.
Not only is Messi four years older and in relative decline; other members of the squad are also ageing. And while Argentina has many promising young players, some have been left at home.
Assuming he overcomes a relatively minor hamstring injury, Messi will lead Argentina into their opening game at the tournament against Algeria on June 16.
While Messi is still banging in the goals for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, he is far from the force he was at the 2022 edition. His minutes during an intense and long tournament will have to be managed carefully.
Messi’s main contribution might be more in terms of presence and aura rather than goals, but he remains a visionary player and a major set-piece threat, even as he has lost some power and speed as he pushes 40.
Messi will most likely retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup. He said a 3-0 victory over Venezuela on September 4 was his final competitive international fixture on home soil.
“There are so many emotions, I’ve experienced so many things on this field,” Messi said after the game at Estadio Mas Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
“It’s always a joy to play in Argentina with our people. We’ve been enjoying match after match for many years. I’m very happy; being able to finish in this way here is what I always dreamed of.”
Argentina’s squad features 17 of the 26 players who won the title in Qatar.
Even if Messi is reduced to a supporting role, Argentina have the experience and talent to win the World Cup. Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez remains a superb centre forward, and was Serie A’s top scorer with 17 goals, while potential strike partner Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez has been fantastic in bursts this season.
The midfield is stacked with Premier League and La Liga quality, from the finesse and creativity of Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, to the box-to-box dynamism and aggression of Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, and the versatile energy of Atleti’s Rodrigo De Paul.
The defence is replete with tough-tackling, durable centre-backs such as Nicolas Otamendi and Christian Romero, although it can be a little rough at times, and there is a lack of top-quality full-backs.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has a phenomenal penalty shootout pedigree – always a plus for the World Cup.
More excitingly, a new generation of attacking talent is starting to emerge.
Nico Paz is a highly touted attacking midfielder who has had a strong season in Serie A with Como, while the versatile 21-year-old Valentin Barco was also called up.
However, coach Lionel Scaloni surprised many by leaving out the 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono, who put in some impressive performances for Real Madrid this season. The left-footed attacking midfielder looks like he has the speed and creativity to become a world-class player.
Chelsea’s electric – if inconsistent – winger Alejandro Garnacho also did not make the squad.
After a period of being led by hot-headed, impetuous managers, Argentina have found stability and identity under the guidance of Scaloni – who was initially appointed on an interim basis in 2018.
He uses the players at his disposal well – adapting where necessary. He appears to have excellent man-management skills, and has built a coherent and tactically smart team of winners – with two Copa Americas and a World Cup title to show for it.
Argentina topped their qualifying group with a string of stellar performances that included a 4-1 rout of Brazil.
If Scaloni leads Argentina to consecutive World Cups, he would be the first manager to do so since Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo in 1934 and 1938.
On paper, Group J appears relatively straightforward for Argentina. However, they have perhaps been guilty of complacency at this stage before, losing to Saudi Arabia at the group stage in Qatar.
Algeria, ranked 28th in the world, will be a tricky first test, while the 24th-ranked Austrians are no pushovers either.
Jordan, playing in their first World Cup, are the underdogs of the group, and Scaloni may be tempted to rest some key or ageing players in that final group game if the first two go to plan.
⚽ June 16: Argentina vs Algeria (Kansas City, Missouri), 9pm ET (01:00 GMT on June 17)
⚽ June 22: Argentina vs Austria (Arlington, Texas), 1pm ET (17:00 GMT)
⚽ June 27: Jordan vs Argentina (Arlington, Texas), 10pm ET (02:00 GMT on June 28)
Their quality and guile are more than enough to get them all the way, with or without a fully firing Messi. But the likes of Spain and France may now just be too good.
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg)
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras).
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.
