Messi has scored 13 goals at the FIFA World Cup, just three shy of the all-time record, set by Miroslav Klose (16).

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner holds the record for the most FIFA World Cup matches (26), and will join Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo as the only male players to appear in six separate editions of the tournament.

Messi will be supported in attack by Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez and Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with a big-money switch to Barcelona.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, fresh from winning the UEFA Europa League, is once again Scaloni's first-choice shot-stopper, while Cristian Romero, who missed the end of Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League survival campaign because of a knee injury, has also made the cut.

Paulo Dybala, however, is a big-name absence, while Emiliano Buendia has also missed out.

Nico Paz is in after his brilliant season with Como, while Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, who was named young player of the tournament at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is also included, as is Messi's Inter Miami team-mate Rodrigo de Paul.

Argentina faces Honduras and Iceland in pre-tournament friendlies before taking on Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J.

Argentina squad:

Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa); Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid); Leandro Paredes (River Plate), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis), Ezequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea); Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan).