He's done it again — at 39, Lionel Messi is lacing up for his SIXTH World Cup as Argentina look to defend their crown. History in the making. Lionel Messi

Right, the GOAT isn’t done yet. Lionel Messi is officially heading to his sixth World Cup, captaining Argentina as they defend their title at the 2026 tournament across the US, Canada and Mexico, according to cbinews.tv.

The Inter Miami forward, who’ll turn 39 during the tournament, was named in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad on Thursday. Remember Qatar 2022? Messi dragged Argentina to that third World Cup win, beating France on pens. Four years on, he’s back for more.

And get this — he already holds the record with 26 World Cup appearances. Now he’ll join Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, as the only men to play in six different World Cups. Legendary stuff.

Scaloni’s kept a solid core from 2022, with 17 of those winners returning. That includes Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, who won best goalkeeper last time out, plus Premier League lads Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez. Romero’s in despite missing the end of the Spurs season with a knee knock.

Up top, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez are back to partner Messi. Argentina are in Group J and kick off against Algeria in Kansas City on Wednesday 17 June, 02:00 BST. Then it’s Austria in Dallas on Monday 22 June, 18:00 BST, and Jordan, also in Dallas, on Sunday 28 June, 02:00 BST.

Worried about Messi’s fitness? He came off in Inter Miami’s last MLS game on Monday, but the club say it’s just “muscle fatigue” in his left hamstring — no injury. He’s on 198 caps for Argentina and should hit 200 if he plays both friendlies: Honduras in Texas on Sunday 7 June, 01:00 BST, and Iceland in Alabama on Tuesday 9 June.

A few big names missed out though. Aston Villa’s Emi Buendia — who bagged Europa League Goal of the Tournament — doesn’t make it, along with Paolo Dybala who’s had a stop-start season at Roma. Real Madrid’s 18-year-old wonderkid Franco Mastantuono is out too. And Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni misses the first two games after FIFA suspended him for abusing Vinicius Jr.

Argentina World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (River Plate), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis), Ezequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Source: cbinews.tv

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