Lionel Scaloni named a 55-player preliminary Argentina World Cup squad last week, putting Lionel Messi, Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni and Chelsea attacker Alejandro Garnacho on a long list that will be cut to 26 before the tournament. The inclusion of Prestianni comes despite FIFA extending his ban globally last week after UEFA handed him a six-match suspension in April for homophobic conduct.
That punishment matters because if Prestianni stays in the final group, he could miss Argentina’s first two World Cup matches against Algeria and Austria. Argentina’s third opponent in Group J is Jordan, and the schedule leaves little room for a player already under sanction to make an early impact.
Scaloni also left out Paulo Dybala, who has not featured for Argentina since 2024, while giving first-time call-ups to Hamburg’s Nicolas Capuldo, 27, Getafe defender Zaid Romero and Parma striker Mateo Pellegrino. Joaquin Panichelli was omitted as he recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee, an injury he suffered in March while on international duty with Argentina.
The preliminary list shows a coach trying to balance continuity with renewal. Scaloni has said Argentina need to get younger in several parts of the pitch, and the selection hints at that shift even with Messi still included for now. The captain has not officially announced whether he intends to play at his sixth World Cup, and the decision will hang over the final cut.
Argentina are also using the coming friendlies as part of that process. They face Honduras on June 6 at Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field and play Iceland three days later at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, two games that should help narrow the field before the 26-man squad is confirmed. For players on the edge, every minute now carries extra weight; for Prestianni, the question is whether a place in the squad is even worth the risk of starting the tournament already in the stands.
