Lionel Messi Left Out of Argentina's World Cup Qualifier Squad
Lionel Messi, injured during the Copa América final played on July 14, will not be with the Argentine national team for the September matches against Chile and Colombia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, according to the squad list in which Giuliano Simeone stands out.
Captain Messi was unable to recover from the right ankle sprain he suffered during the Copa América final, in which Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in Miami.
The list announced this Monday for the matches on September 5 and 10 also does not include Ángel Di María, who, after winning the Copa América, confirmed his decision to end his cycle with the Argentine national team.
Although the squad selection did not present major surprises, coach Lionel Scaloni included some new names and left out four other players who participated in the Copa América.
The new additions compared to the team that won in the United States are goalkeepers Walter Benítez, from Dutch club PSV, and Juan Musso, from Italian club Atalanta; defenders Leonardo Balerdi, from French club Olympique de Marseille, and Valentín Barco, from English club Brighton; midfielder Ezequiel Fernández, a recent signing for Saudi club Al Qadsiah; and forwards Matías Soulé, from Italian club Roma, Giuliano Simeone, from Atlético de Madrid, and Valentín Castellanos, from Italian club Lazio.
Those absent compared to the last call-up, besides Messi and Di María, are River Plate goalkeeper Franco Armani; Fiorentina defender Lucas Martínez Quarta; Sevilla defender Marcos Acuña; and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios.
Also notable is the absence of Paulo Dybala, who was not called up for the Copa América but was expected to return to the national team for the qualifier matches.
Argentina will host Chile on Thursday, September 5, at the Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires for the seventh round of the South American qualifiers for the World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
On Tuesday, September 10, Argentina will visit Colombia for the eighth round.
Scaloni’s team leads the qualifiers with 15 points from six matches.
