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Group J · FIFA World Cup 2026

Argentina

Squad, fixtures, results and team-specific news for fantasy and predictor players.

Squad

World Cup squad

Goalkeepers

#PlayerAgeCapsClub
1Juan Musso323Atlético Madrid
12Gerónimo Rulli347Olympique de Marseille
23Emiliano Martínez3459Aston Villa F.C.

Defenders

#PlayerAgeCapsClub
2Leonardo Balerdi2711Olympique de Marseille
3Nicolás Tagliafico3475Olympique Lyonnais
4Gonzalo Montiel2938Club Atlético River Plate
6Lisandro Martínez2826Manchester United F.C.
13Cristian Romero2849Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
19Nicolás Otamendi38130S.L. Benfica
25Facundo Medina277Olympique de Marseille
26Nahuel Molina2858Atlético Madrid

Midfielders

#PlayerAgeCapsClub
5Leandro Paredes3277Boca Juniors
7Rodrigo De Paul3285Inter Miami CF
8Valentín Barco222RC Strasbourg Alsace
11Giovani Lo Celso3065Real Betis
14Exequiel Palacios2838Bayer 04 Leverkusen
15Nicolás González (footballer, born 1998)2850Atlético Madrid
20Alexis Mac Allister2844Liverpool F.C.
24Enzo Fernández2540Chelsea F.C.

Forwards

#PlayerAgeCapsClub
9Julián Alvarez2651Atlético Madrid
10Lionel Messi39198Inter Miami CF
16Thiago Almada2514Atlético Madrid
17Giuliano Simeone2411Atlético Madrid
18Nico Paz228Como 1907
21José Manuel López263SE Palmeiras
22Lautaro Martínez2975Inter Milan
Predicted XI

Likely starting line-up

Predicted XI · 4-3-3
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martínez
Defence
Nicolás OtamendiNicolás TagliaficoNahuel MolinaCristian Romero
Midfield
Rodrigo De PaulLeandro ParedesGiovani Lo Celso
Attack
Lionel MessiLautaro MartínezJulián Alvarez

Based on squad selection and recent form. May change before kick-off.

Fixtures

Argentina fixture list

Date Time Opponent H/A Venue Stage Result
Wednesday 17 June 2026 02:00 BST Algeria Home Kansas City Stadium First Stage -
Monday 22 June 2026 18:00 BST Austria Home Dallas Stadium First Stage -
Sunday 28 June 2026 03:00 BST Jordan Away Dallas Stadium First Stage -
Results

Results and scoreline

Results will appear here as the tournament progresses. Check the news feed for the latest match outcomes.

Team news

Argentina news and injury updates

Reliable Unverified

Scaloni says initial Messi injury reports 'not that bad' — encouraging signal 15 days before opener

Diario AS, MSN, The Guardian, Buenos Aires Times and Channels Television all report Lionel Scaloni has directly addressed Messi's leg injury concern, saying the initial reports are 'not that bad'. Thi...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: modest upgrade to Messi's opener availability confidence. Scaloni actively calming fears is a stronger signal than media speculatio...

Confirmed

Martinez tells Argentina fans he will recover from finger injury for World Cup opener

ESPN reports Emiliano Dibu Martinez has told Argentina fans he will recover from a finger injury in time for the national team World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16. This follows earlier FOX Spo...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: upgrade Martinez to available for Argentina matchday-1 projections. His finger injury is not expected to affect his starting status...

Confirmed

Argentina confirm 26-man World Cup squad: Messi leads, Mastantuono left out

Sports Illustrated, Al Jazeera, OneFootball and the Buenos Aires Times report Lionel Scaloni has confirmed Argentina's 26-man World Cup squad. Messi is included and will captain the defending champion...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: Argentina player pools move to final-squad mode. Messi remains the primary captaincy/attacking reference with Scaloni calming fitne...

Reliable Unverified

Messi exits Inter Miami's final match before World Cup with possible leg injury

MLSsoccer.com, The Guardian and USA Today report Lionel Messi was substituted out of Inter Miami's final match before the World Cup after showing signs of a leg concern. This follows his separate trai...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: maintain a live fitness flag on Messi for Argentina's opener. This leg-concern escalation from match action compounds the earlier s...

Confirmed

Messi trains alone as Argentina begin World Cup preparation in Kansas City

beIN SPORTS, MSN and FotMob report Lionel Messi trained separately from the main group as Argentina began their World Cup preparation in Kansas City. MARCA reports Scaloni is preparing a team without ...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: this materially increases the risk weight on Messi for Argentina's opener. Scaloni actively working on a non-Messi XI is a stronger...

Confirmed

Álvarez and Romero recover from injuries for Argentina World Cup camp

World Soccer Talk and OneFootball report Julián Álvarez and Cristian Romero have recovered from their injuries and are available for Argentina's World Cup preparation. This is positive fitness news fo...

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: positive for Argentina defensive and attacking projections. Romero returning strengthens the back-line and clean-sheet viability; Á...

Reliable Unverified

Messi among 10 Argentina players dealing with physical issues ahead of World Cup

Bolavip reports Lionel Messi is among 10 Argentina players dealing with physical issues ahead of the 2026 World Cup, adding fitness-monitoring risk to the defending champions' squad....

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy/predictor: Argentina remain strong on paper, but the breadth of fitness concerns (10 players including Messi) is notable. Keep a monitoring fl...

Reliable Unverified

Messi reportedly expected to recover before Argentina opener

Reports say Messi is dealing with muscle overload but is expected to recover before Argentina's first World Cup match. This should not be treated as an official all-clear yet....

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy: premium captaincy remains live but monitor training. Predictor: Argentina call probably unchanged unless minutes become restricted....

Confirmed

Argentina carrying several knocks into final squad phase

Reports say Lionel Scaloni has several fitness concerns to manage as Argentina prepare to defend the World Cup, with squad confirmation shaped by players carrying knocks....

Fantasy/predictor impact: Fantasy: Argentina picks need training checks, not just reputation. Predictor: no major downgrade yet, but monitor minutes and availability....

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