In just over a week, on June 1, the deadline set by FIFA for national teams to confirm their 26-player squads for the 2026 World Cup will expire. Argentina have yet to make that announcement, and Roberto Ayala revealed details about Lionel Scaloni’s method for making the final decision.
“Each member of the staff makes their own list,” Ayala revealed during a recent interview with Clank. “In the conversations we have, he asks whether each of us has our list ready. Then we send them to the group chat we have, and finally Leo decides.”
The former Valencia defender explained that there are as many as six different lists before Scaloni makes the final call. One obviously belongs to the coach himself, who has the final word, while the others come from assistants Roberto Ayala, Walter Samuel and Pablo Aimar — all former national team players as well — plus Matias Manna (match analyst) and Luis Martin (fitness coach).
Despite the number of lists involved, Ayala admitted the staff members are usually on the same page. “There are very few differences between us. One more name or one less,” he said before explaining how coach Scaloni handles the process: “He opens the discussion so we can talk things through and different topics come up. Those are our preliminary conversations.”
Scaloni’s doubts ahead of the World Cup
Argentina were one of the few teams to officially announce the list of 55 players submitted to FIFA on May 11. From there, reports indicate that Scaloni made a preliminary cut to reduce the number to around 35 players, though he has yet to finalize the definitive 26-man squad.
see also
Emiliano Martinez expected fully fit for Argentina’s 2026 World Cup run despite broken finger
One of the main reasons for the caution is the considerable number of players dealing with physical issues whose recovery processes are being evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Most of them also play in defensive positions, which complicates planning: goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and defenders Cristian Romero, Gonzalo Montiel and Nahuel Molina are among them.
Ayala explains the debates within Argentina’s staff
In the same interview, Roberto Ayala gave details about the criteria Scaloni will use to determine Argentina’s final World Cup roster. “About 80% of the list is already set. There are others we still have to evaluate, whether because of form or physical condition. We also have to consider that something could happen to someone or that a player could still be doubtful,” he explained.
“So what do we do then? Do we add a defender or a midfielder? We have to look at the versatility of the players and what they can give you. Whether in some cases we need to play with three or five defenders, and which players can offer you more things,” added the former defender.
“We lost (Juan) Foyth, who was important, because he was a reliable center back and a fullback who always delivered,” Ayala lamented, referring to the Villarreal player who suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury earlier this year. “All of that gets evaluated and resolved in a short amount of time.”
