\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t While Argentina\u2019s men\u2019s national football team for the 2026 World Cup was confirmed by head coach Lionel Scaloni on Thursday, it remains to be seen whether the 26 men the coach named will be there when the ball starts to roll at the stadiums across North America.<\/p>\n
Several Albiceleste players enter the final stretch of preparations with fitness concerns after enduring a long and demanding club season.<\/p>\n
The biggest name with a question mark is clearly that of Lionel Messi. The Argentine captain, who arrived at the training camp in Kansas City on Sunday, is struggling with a strain in the back of his left leg.<\/p>\n
After being substituted due to injury in Inter Miami\u2019s last match before the World Cup, he is expected to sit out Argentina\u2019s preparatory friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9 as a precaution.<\/p>\n
Another of the big Argentina stars in trouble is goalkeeper Emiliano \u201cDibu\u201d Mart\u00ednez. The two-time Yashin Trophy winner fractured a finger on his left hand during the warm-up for the Europa League final.<\/p>\n
The injury was only a minor fracture, and Mart\u00ednez played on to become one of his team\u2019s standout performers in the match. Even so, he is expected to miss Argentina\u2019s first two warm-up friendlies in order to ensure he is fully fit for the team\u2019s World Cup opener.<\/p>\n
Other concerns One who might miss Argentina\u2019s World Cup opener against Algeria is Cristian \u201cCuti\u201d Romero. The center defender is recovering from a lateral ligament strain in his right knee he suffered back in April while playing for Tottenham in the English Premier League.<\/p>\n
Recovery times generally run from a month to six weeks, so Romero is in a race against the clock to make it, but should be available for the rest of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Right-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Nahuel Molina are facing similar concerns. Montiel suffered a tear in his left quadriceps while playing for River Plate and will be closely monitored as Argentina\u2019s training camp progresses. Of the two, he appears the more likely to miss out on the final squad if he fails to recover in time.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a similar situation for Molina, who suffered a tear in his right hamstring while playing for Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in early May. However, his situation is far less complicated, and he should be available.<\/p>\n
Others returning to fitness are midfielder Leandro Paredes (right hamstring spasms), midfielder Nicol\u00e1s Paz (left knee spasms), striker Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez (rolled left ankle), and Thiago Almada (muscle strain).\u00a0<\/p>\n
None of the injuries is considered serious, and all four are expected to be available for Argentina\u2019s World Cup opener.<\/p>\n
What happens if a player can\u2019t compete in the World Cup due to injury? While Scaloni\u2019s 26-player list is final, it\u2019s not definitive for now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The head coach can make changes to the squad if an injury occurs (or is deemed more serious than previously thought) until June 15, one day before the team makes its tournament debut.<\/p>\n
The replacement must be selected from the provisional list of 55 names that the federation previously submitted to FIFA.<\/p>\n
This happened in the buildup to Qatar 2022, when strikers Joaqu\u00edn Correa and Nicol\u00e1s Gonz\u00e1lez were dropped in favor of \u00c1ngel Correa and Thiago Almada, who were fitter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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