Did Lionel Scaloni Get It Wrong? 5 Argentina Players Who Should Have Made FIFA World Cup 2026 Squad
Scaloni named his final 26 on Thursday and the debate started within minutes. Franco Mastantuono, Paulo Dybala, Emiliano Buendia, Marcos Senesi and Marcos Acuna all watched the squad get announced without their names in it. Here is the case for each of them.
Lionel Scaloni announced Argentina's official 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, and the names missing from it generated as much attention as the names included. The defending champions are strong on paper. But five omissions are worth a second look.
The Players Left Behind
Franco Mastantuono
The most talked-about absence is the teenage Real Madrid midfielder who has generated enormous excitement as one of the most sought-after young players in world football. Scaloni opted for experience over potential, and the decision made Argentina one of the top trending topics on social media within minutes of the announcement. The counter-argument is simple: there will not always be a World Cup in North America where Argentina are defending champions and Mastantuono is 17.
Paulo Dybala
The Dybala exclusion cuts differently because Scaloni did not even include him in the 55-man preliminary list in May. That is not being left out of the final squad. That is being told you are not in the conversation at all. Scaloni acknowledged his quality in a DSports interview but pointed to younger players consolidating themselves in his position. The underlying issue is that Dybala's last call-up was September 2024, where he contributed 16 minutes across two qualifying matches. Since then he missed every window while Nico Paz established himself.
Emiliano Buendia
Buendia scored the crucial goal in the Europa League final as Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0, finishing the season with 11 goals and nine assists across 54 appearances. The problem was never quality. Since a 10-minute debut against Colombia in 2022, he has played just 20 more minutes for Argentina, in a friendly against Angola. Scaloni chose players he has actually built into his system. The logic holds. The frustration is real.
Marcos Senesi
Bournemouth's centre-back had a consistent Premier League campaign and was considered one of the more reliable options in Argentina's broader defensive pool. His omission is less explosive than the others but reflects just how deep Scaloni's defensive options run.
Marcos Acuna
One of the men on the pitch in Lusail in December 2022 when Argentina lifted the trophy. At 32, Scaloni has been moving towards younger options at left-back for some time. It does not make the exclusion sting any less for a player who gave everything to this squad.
Scaloni has won three consecutive major tournaments. His instincts have earned the benefit of the doubt. Thursday's announcement proved once again that getting to 26 means leaving behind people who did everything asked of them.