Why isn’t Thiago Almada starting for Argentina against Egypt at the 2026 World Cup?

Argentina face Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at Atlanta Stadium, and manager Lionel Scaloni has made a tactical change, leaving Thiago Almada out of his starting eleven.

Scaloni is set to send out four midfielders, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister, behind a front two of Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez.

The switch to a 4-4-2 shape means there’s no room for Almada, who had been operating as part of a front three in a 4-3-3 through Argentina’s first two matches of the tournament and against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 clash.

The decision is purely tactical rather than a reflection of any single poor performance, coming down to the shape Scaloni wants on the pitch against Egypt rather than any specific issue with Almada himself.

Scaloni makes more changes to face Egypt

Almada’s absence isn’t the only one Argentina’s lineup will feature compared to their previous matches. Alongside the Atletico Madrid attacking midfielder, Scaloni also decided to leave Lautaro Martinez and Facundo Medina on the bench.

Martinez had started in all four of Argentina’s matches so far, but Scaloni opted to use Julian Alvarez from the opening whistle instead, in a purely tactical decision. The Inter Milan forward is in peak physical condition, carrying no injury of any kind, and will be available among the substitutes, ready to come on if the flow of the match calls for it in the second half.

As for Medina, the left-back finished the match against Cape Verde exhausted, which is why the coach opted to use Nicolas Tagliafico on the left side from the start of the match instead.