Messi to captain Argentina in historic sixth World Cup appearance

Lionel Messi entered his sixth World Cup as the rare player Argentina cannot afford to overuse or underuse. At 38, he was named in Lionel Scaloni’s final 26-man squad and will captain a side that begins its title defense in a tournament expanded to 48 teams, 104 matches and 1,248 confirmed players.

Argentina’s opening task came in Group J, where it was set to face Algeria in Kansas City, then Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27. For Scaloni, the challenge is as tactical as it is physical: preserve Messi’s legs across a demanding schedule without blunting the influence that still shapes Argentina’s attack, tempo and nerve in the biggest moments.

Messi’s place at the center of the plan is not symbolic. He debuted at a World Cup as a teenager in Germany in 2006 and has since built the tournament’s all-time appearance record with 26 matches. He also became Argentina’s leading scorer in South American qualifying for the World Cup with 31 goals, evidence that his value is no longer confined to flashes in knockout rounds. He remains the player around whom Argentina organizes possession, set pieces and final-third decisions.

That importance comes with risk. Messi had been dealing with a left hamstring muscle issue during his time with Inter Miami, a concern that briefly complicated the buildup. Scaloni played down the problem and kept him at the center of the plan, a reminder that Argentina’s most important asset is also its most carefully managed one. The tradeoff is clear: fewer minutes in routine passages, more freedom to decide matches when the game opens.

Argentina’s confidence is built on a squad that knows the route to the summit. FIFA said 17 of the 26 players were part of the team that won Qatar 2022, when Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 final. That core includes Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez, giving Messi a familiar support system around him. The same group also arrives as reigning world champion and back-to-back Copa América winner after taking the 2024 title, with one bigger target ahead: becoming the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to retain the World Cup.