Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has named a sizable squad for the team's final two CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers of the 2026 cycle.
Lionel Messi headlines the group set to take on Venezuela and Ecuador in the last two matches of the 18-game round robin. Venezuela is first up on September 4, marking the final home game for Argentina of the qualifying fixtures, before they hit the road to visit Ecuador five days later on September 9.
With Argentina already mathematically confirmed to finish atop the 10-team standings, there is little impetus for them to go all-out for victory.
Scaloni has always taken these competitive matches seriously regardless of the stakes at play, yet there are plenty options available to him as the 2022 World Cup winners take the opportunity to rotate the squad and give fringe players a chance to impress.
The Sporting News discusses which notable players are amongst the individuals called in, as well as those left on the sidelines.
MORE: All the latest Lionel Messi news
Argentina squad for September 2025 matches vs. Venezuela, Ecuador
After releasing a preliminary roster of 31 players, Lionel Scaloni has trimmed the squad further, announcing the final list of players for the final two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Ecuador in September of 2025.
The final roster was trimmed to 28 players. Only 23 players are allowed to be named to each gameday squad, with 11 starters and 12 available off the bench.
Facundo Medina, Enzo Fernandez, and Angel Correa were cut from the preliminary list. Fernandez is usually a regular within the squad, but is suspended for these two matches due to a red card. Medina picked up an ankle injury, while Correa's absence is confusing given his strong form for Mexican club Tigres.
| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Benitez | GK | Crystal Palace (ENG) |
| Emiliano Martinez | GK | Aston Villa (ENG) |
| Geronimo Rulli | GK | Olympique Marseille (FRA) |
| Marcos Acuna | DEF | River (ARG) |
| Leonardo Balerdi | DEF | Olympique Marseille (FRA) |
| Juan Foyth | DEF | Villarreal (ESP) |
| Nahuel Molina | DEF | Atletico de Madrid (ESP) |
| Gonzalo Montiel | DEF | River (ARG) |
| Nicolas Otamendi | DEF | Benfica (POR) |
| Cristian Romero | DEF | Tottenham (ENG) |
| Julio Soler | DEF | Bournemouth (ENG) |
| Nicolas Tagliafico | DEF | Lyon (FRA) |
| Thiago Almada | MID | Lyon (FRA) |
| Rodrigo De Paul | MID | Inter Miami (USA) |
| Claudio Echeverri | MID | Manchester City (ENG) |
| Giovani Lo Celso | MID | Betis (ESP) |
| Alexis Mac Allister | MID | Liverpool (ENG) |
| Exequiel Palacios | MID | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) |
| Leandro Paredes | MID | Boca Juniors (ARG) |
| Nicolás Paz | MID | Como (ITA) |
| Giuliano Simeone | MID | Atletico de Madrid (ESP) |
| Alan Varela | MID | Porto (POR) |
| Nicolas Gonzalez | MID | Juventus (ITA) |
| Julian Alvarez | FWD | Atlético de Madrid (ESP) |
| Juan Manuel Lopez | FWD | Palmeiras (BRA) |
| Lautaro Martinez | FWD | Inter (ITA) |
| Franco Mastantuono | FWD | River Plate (ARG) |
| Lionel Messi | FWD | Inter Miami (USA) |
Lionel Messi set for national team duty
Having recovered from a minor hamstring injury in early August, Lionel Messi has been named to the Argentina squad for these final two qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup cycle.
With Argentina guaranteed to finish atop the standings, however, it's possible that Messi is not leaned upon as heavily as he normally is, allowing him to stay fit and fresh for his club Inter Miami down the stretch of the MLS regular season.
Sitting on 112 goals in 193 caps for Argentina through his illustrious career, Messi is closing in on the 200 cap milestone which only a few players have ever achieved at the senior men's international level. He has scored in just one of five qualifiers since the end of last summer's Copa America, bagging a hat-trick against Bolivia last October.
Franco Mastantuono in line for Argentina role
18-year-old Franco Mastantuono has exploded onto the international stage since signing for Real Madrid this past summer.
The winger moved to the Spanish giants from Argentine club River Plate for a reported €45 million fee, and the move alone saw him called into the national team. He made his debut in a qualifier against Chile back in June, seeing six minutes off the bench.
Set to potentially play a squad role for Real Madrid already, Mastantuono has been called into the national team once again, possibly seen as a long-term replacement for Messi once the Argentine legend finally retires. He could play a role in these qualifiers, as Argentina have already secured the top spot in the table, rendering these two matches competitively meaningless.
Also in the squad are fellow young talents Claudio Echeverri of Manchester City and Alan Varela of Porto, while Palmeiras striker Jose Manuel Lopez gets his first international call-up.
Enzo Fernandez, Paulo Dybala, Alejandro Garnacho left out
The biggest omission on Lionel Scaloni's roster is Enzo Fernandez, but there's a reasonable explanation for his absence. The Chelsea midfielder has been a fixture during Scaloni's tenure, but he is suspended for both matches this window due to a red card in their last match, so he will get the international break off.
Alejandro Garnacho is not included while the Manchester United winger is involved in transfer negotiations, while his current Red Devils teammate Lisandro Martinez is continuing to work back from an ACL injury.
The most interesting omission is that of Paulo Dybala, who has been in and out of the Argentina roster over the last year. While most of his absences have largely been due to injuries, he has recovered from the soft tissue problems which have seen him miss each of the last four international windows, playing 58 minutes in Roma's recent friendly against Saudi side NEOM. Thus, his absence is down to selection, which could leave him worried about his overall standing with the national team.
Back on the roster after omission over the summer are Nicolas Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuna, Giovanni Lo Celso, and Alexis Mac Allister, who were all left out the qualifiers over the summer due to either suspension (Talgiafico) or injury (the rest).