Messi in Argentina's squad for record 6th World Cup

Lionel Messi is headed to his sixth FIFA World Cup.

Argentina announced its 26-man roster for the blockbuster summer event Thursday, with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner headlining the list.

Franco Mastantuono, Gianluca Prestianni, and Marcos Acuna were notable omissions from the final squad.

Messi and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first men to appear in six different World Cups if they take the pitch at any point during the upcoming tournament. Mexico veteran Guillermo Ochoa could join them by being in the squad for six different editions of the World Cup, but the shot-stopper didn't actually play in the 2006 or 2010 tournaments after being named to those Mexican squads.

Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 but had yet to confirm that he'd play this year. Head coach Lionel Scaloni said in March that the 38-year-old was still undecided about his participation in North America.

Messi also recently left an Inter Miami appearance early due to fatigue-related overload in his hamstring. He's tallied 12 goals and eight assists in 14 games for Miami this season.

La Albiceleste will debut at the World Cup against Algeria on June 16. Argentina then faces Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27) as part of its Group J action.

Acuna's absence is one of the biggest surprises among Argentina's squad. The 34-year-old has recorded 62 international appearances.

Mastantuono, 18, is one of the most promising Argentinian players in the world, having joined Real Madrid in 2025. Benfica's Prestianni would've been unavailable for his country's first two World Cup matches after being handed a ban for verbally abusing Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in February.

Argentina's World Cup squad

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 (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nico Paz (Como), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras)