Lionel Messi will captain Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, marking his sixth appearance in the tournament, a record for any player [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. At 38 years old, Messi now plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS) and has scored 13 goals in 16 games this season, helping the club win the MLS Cup last year [1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9]. "I love playing football, and I’m going to do it until I can’t anymore," Messi said [6].
Argentina announced their 26-man World Cup squad on May 28, 2026, led by coach Lionel Scaloni, with 17 players returning from their 2022 World Cup-winning team [1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12]. The group includes defender Cristian Romero, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained in April but was included despite limited recent play [1, 5, 10]. Notable absences from the squad include Real Madrid prospect Franco Mastantuono, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendía, and Marcos Acuña, due to fitness concerns [5, 8, 9, 10, 12].
Argentina is drawn in Group J and will face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan in the group stage. Their opening match against Algeria is scheduled for June 16, 2026, in Kansas City, although one source lists the game on June 17 [1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12].
The 2026 World Cup will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Argentina will play two friendlies in the U.S. before the tournament begins: against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9 [1, 8, 9, 12]. The World Cup itself kicks off on June 11 [5, 8, 9, 10].
Messi recently suffered muscle fatigue in his left hamstring during an MLS match against Philadelphia Union on May 25 and was substituted early [1, 8, 9, 10, 12]. Coach Scaloni downplayed the injury’s severity but said further tests are pending. "The initial updates aren't entirely bad. Now, we must wait to see how he evolves," Scaloni said. "We all wished Messi could have joined the squad fully fit, but that isn't the reality" [8, 9, 10, 12]. Scaloni also said there is no clear heir to Messi on the team yet. "There can’t be. There won’t be. There won’t be an heir to Messi, for sure," he said [3].
Messi holds the record for most World Cup matches played with 26 appearances and will join Cristiano Ronaldo as one of only two men to appear in six tournaments [1, 3, 8, 12]. He captained Argentina to victory in the 2024 Copa America and was the top scorer in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup [3, 6, 7].
Argentina’s first World Cup match against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16 will be their first step in the 2026 tournament.
