Report: Argentina coach Scaloni cuts World Cup preliminary squad to 35 players, final decision due this week

Argentina are entering the final stretch of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they will attempt to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago. Lionel Scaloni must finalize the 26-man squad, and he has reportedly already made an initial decision.

Last week, Argentina officially announced their preliminary 55-player squad, headlined by Lionel Messi and notable absences Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala. That number, however, must now be reduced, and reports indicate progress has already been made in that process.

“The Argentina national team reserved approximately 35 players with notifications sent to European clubs. They are not going to bring everyone to Argentina,” TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul, who specializes in covering Argentina, said Tuesday on his official X account.

This means that, from the original 55-player list, several players will be cut even before the final roster is confirmed. The decision is tied to players based outside the country, as traveling to South America would be unreasonable if they are already no longer part of Scaloni’s plans.

Aside from those players, there are also several pre-selected players currently playing for clubs in Argentina and Brazil whose release is not necessary until the final moment, since they will not need to travel long distances. They are Facundo Cambeses, Santiago Beltran, Agustin Giay, Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martinez Quarta, German Pezzella, Lautaro Di Lollo, Marcos Acuña, Gabriel Rojas, Leandro Paredes, Anibal Moreno, Milton Delgado, Tomas Andrada and Jose Lopez.

When must Argentina announce their final World Cup squad?

While some national teams such as France, Portugal and Brazil have already announced their final 26-player squads for the World Cup, FIFA regulations allow teams to delay that decision for a few more days, with the deadline set for June 1.

However, reports indicate that Lionel Scaloni will not wait until the final day to announce the cuts. “The national team coaching staff are already in the country and the idea is to make the decision on the final World Cup squad this week,” Gaston Edul added on X.

Argentina players dealing with injury concerns

One of the main reasons Lionel Scaloni has likely not yet announced the final World Cup roster — and has instead only reduced the list to 35 players — is that several players are dealing with fitness issues, with their recovery being closely monitored.

Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the remainder of Tottenham’s season, although he is expected to be fit for Argentina’s opening match against Algeria on June 16. Gonzalo Montiel and Nahuel Molina are in similar situations, while Nicolas Gonzalez is expected to make a full recovery soon from a muscle injury.