Sports Desk: Defending champions Argentina have named a strong 26-member squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with captain Lionel Messi set to lead the team despite concerns over injuries to several key players. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that most of the core players from the World Cup-winning squad of Qatar 2022 will be available for the tournament. The squad announced by the Argentine Football Association includes 17 players who were part of the title-winning campaign four years ago. es remain on Messi, who is nearing his 39th birthday and will appear in his sixth FIFA World Cup. The Inter Miami star was recently sidelined due to muscle fatigue and a strain in his left hamstring, which forced him to leave a match unfinished last weekend. However, Scaloni has retained faith in the veteran forward, whose recovery will be monitored closely in the coming days.
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Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, another hero of Argentina’s 2022 triumph, has also been included despite suffering a fractured finger during Aston Villa’s Europa League final victory over Freiburg. Defender Cristian Romero, recovering from a knee ligament injury, and full-backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, both dealing with muscle problems, were also named in the squad. Argentina, champions in 1978, 1986 and 2022, will begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 in Group J. Austria and Jordan are the other teams in the group. The team will leave for its training base in Kansas City on Saturday and play warm-up matches against Honduras and Iceland ahead of the tournament. The squad also features stars such as Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Rodrigo De Paul as Argentina aim to defend their world title successfully.
