The Argentina captain is included in the reserve squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but his participation has not been announced.
Published May 12, 2026
Lionel Messi’s participation in the FIFA World Cup has been the subject of fans’ doubts in recent months, but those concerns may be put to rest after he was included in Argentina’s reserve squad for the tournament.
The global soccer superstar was among the 55 players named in the initial World Cup roster by Lionel Scaloni on Monday, but the 38-year-old is yet to fully confirm his availability as Argentina aim to defend their title.
Messi also included Gianluca Prestianni’s name among the 16 forwards listed by Argentina’s head coach, despite the player being handed a six-match suspension and likely missing the team’s first two group games.
The Inter Miami and Argentina national team captain has repeatedly hinted that his time on the world stage may be coming to an end.
“I’m conscious that I’m playing my last game and I’m enjoying it to the fullest,” Messi said after the match against Inter Miami in June. “I believe that he is watching over my final moments as one of the soccer world’s elite.”
However, he has not cut ties with La Albiceleste or made any commitments ahead of the month-long tournament, which starts on June 11th.
Messi was part of the team when Argentina began qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, but the great footballer was out of action for the last few games due to injury.
So while Scaloni said there was “plenty of time” to make a decision on Messi’s future in international football, the World Cup-winning manager may have confirmed his and his players’ decisions during the squad announcement.
Messi’s teammates have made their wishes very clear.
“With Messi, we could have scored a few more goals,” Julian Alvarez said after Argentina beat Brazil 4-1 in last year’s South American qualifier.
“Our team is always at its best when number 10 is playing, because he is the best of all time,” Rodrigo de Paul said, echoing Messi’s fans in Argentina and around the world.
Messi scored seven goals for Argentina at the 2022 Qatar tournament, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time in 36 years.
The captain scored his team’s first goal in regulation time in the final against France, and his first penalty after the game ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time.
Meanwhile, Prestianni, 20, will miss at least two of Argentina’s World Cup matches after receiving a six-match ban for making homophobic slurs during a UEFA Champions League match in February.
Prestiani, who played for Portugal’s Benfica, was accused of verbally abusing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, but he denied doing so and said he was “misunderstood” on social media.
The initial penalty was handed down by European soccer’s governing body UEFA, but FIFA extended it to all sanctioned matches around the world.
Prestianni made his debut for Argentina in November and has been an integral part of the team in recent months.
The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, concludes on July 19.
Argentina opens its title defense against Algeria on June 16th in Kansas City, Missouri, then plays Austria on June 22nd in Dallas, Texas, and on June 27th at the same venue.
Can you identify all 48 teams participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Take the quiz here.
