BUENOS AIRES: Arge­n­tina’s national team unveiled a revamped 31-man squad on Monday, led by Lionel Messi, for the South American qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador for the 2026 World Cup.

Alongside captain Messi, the squad features several young Argentine talents, including Man­chester City striker Claudio Echeverri, Porto midfielder Alan Varela and recent Real Madrid signing Franco Mastantuono.

Coach Lionel Scaloni also called up striker Jose Manuel Lopez from Brazilian club Palmeiras for the first time.

Argentina will play Venezuela at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Sept 4, before traveling to Guayaquil to play Ecuador five days later.

Having already qualified for the World Cup, the “Albiceleste” lead the qualifiers with 35 points, 10 points ahead of Ecuador in second place and Brazil in third.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez and Geronimo Rulli; Defenders: Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Leonardo Balerdi, Juan Foyth, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna, Julio Soler and Facundo Medina; Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister, Exequiel Palacios, Alan Varela, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Paz, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, and Valentin Carboni; Forwards: Claudio Echeverri, Franco Mastantuono, Giuliano Simeone, Angel Correa, Julin Alvarez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Jose Manuel Lopez.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025