Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni has announced his preliminary list of 55 players for the World Cup.
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez – Aston Villa Gerónimo Rulli – Olympique de Marsella Juan Musso – Atlético de Madrid Walter Benítez – Crystal Palace Facundo Cambeses – Racing Club Santiago Beltrán – River Plate
Defenders: Agustín Giay – Palmeiras Gonzalo Montiel – River Plate Nahuel Molina – Atlético de Madrid Nicolás Capaldo – Hamburgo SV Kevin Mac Allister – Union Saint Gilloise Lucas Martinez Quarta – River Plate Marcos Senesi – Bournemounth Lisandro Martínez – Manchester United Nicolás Otamendi – Benfica Germán Pezzella – River Plate Leonardo Balerdi – Olympique de Marsella Cristian Romero – Tottenhman Lautaro Di Lollo – Boca Juniors Zaid Romero – Getafe Facundo Medina – Olympique de Marsella Marcos Acuña – River Plate Nicolás Tagliafico – Olympique de Lyon Gabriel Rojas – Racing Club
Midfielders: Máximo Perrone – Calcio Como 1907 Leandro Paredes – Boca Juniors Guido Rodríguez – Valencia Aníbal Moreno – River Plate Milton Delgado – Boca Juniors Alan Varela – FC Porto Ezequiel Fernández – Bayer Leverkusen Rodrigo De Paul – Inter de Miami Exequiel Palacios – Bayer Leverkusen Enzo Fernández – Chelsea Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool Giovani Lo Celso – Real Betis Nicolás Domínguez – Nottingham Forest Emiliano Buendia – Aston Villa Valentín Barco – RC Strasbourg
Forwards: Lionel Messi – Inter Miami Nicolás Paz – Calcio Como 1907 Franco Mastantuono – Real Madrid Thiago Almada – Atlético de Madrid Tomás Aranda – Boca Juniors Nicolás González – Atlético de Madrid Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea Giuliano Simeone – Atlético de Madrid Matías Soulé – AS Roma Claudio Echeverri – Girona Fútbol Club Gianluca Prestianni – SL Benfica Santiago Castro – Bologna FC Lautaro Martínez – Internazionale de Milán José Manuel López – Palmeiras Julián Álvarez – Atlético de Madrid Mateo Pellegrino – Parma Calcio
At Diego Maradona Soccer Academy in Ontario, Canada, football is taught with a strong South American influence and a deep connection to Argentine football culture.
In an interview with Mundo Albiceleste, Diego Hernán Maradona, nephew of Diego Armando Maradona, spoke about his football journey, the growth of the academy, and his mission to help develop young players in Canada.
“My name is Diego Hernán Maradona, I’m the son of Lalo Maradona, Diego’s brother,” he said. “My father played the end of his career in the Canadian league for Toronto Italia, and I grew up a little bit here before we went back to Argentina.”
After spending years in Argentina and going through the youth system at Argentinos Juniors, Maradona returned to Canada at 18 years old for a trial with Toronto FC.
“That’s where I met my wife,” he explained. “When I decided to stop playing, I wanted to stay in Canada because of the lifestyle. I already had childhood friends here, and obviously my wife is from here.”
The academy, located in Vaughan just north of Toronto, was founded in 2013.
“I always wanted to work in football. It’s what I know since I was a kid, it’s in my blood,” Maradona said. “My wife told me, ‘Why don’t you start working with kids? You love teaching and you know a lot about football.’ She handled more of the administrative side while I focused on what I enjoy on the field.”
Since then, the academy has continued to grow while maintaining a philosophy strongly inspired by South American football.
“My methodology is mostly South American,” he explained. “We’ve traveled a lot to Europe in recent years, especially to Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise, and I try to integrate some of what European football is asking for today. But most of it is still South American — always with the ball, small-sided games, lots of touches, letting the game flow naturally.”
The academy welcomes players from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, reflecting the diversity of Canada itself.
“Canada is very multicultural,” Maradona said. “Most are Canadians, but with Italian parents, Jamaican, Portuguese — we have people from everywhere. We’ve had players from Korea, Italy, the United States, Venezuela and Spain come to our camps.”
He added that the academy works with children as young as four years old up to teenagers around 13 or 14 years old.
One of the academy’s biggest annual events is its summer camp program in July.
“It’s the biggest camp we do every year,” Maradona explained. “We bring coaches like my father from Argentina and many South American coaches with FIFA experience who played professionally.”
Beyond training, Maradona believes one of his responsibilities is helping improve football development pathways in Canada.
“There’s a lot of talent here,” he said. “But many players never get the experience or guidance needed to help them move in the right direction. There are many parents coaching teams who know the basics, but not necessarily what professional clubs and coaches are really looking for.”
He continued: “I lived the experience of being in youth academies, playing in another country and understanding what it takes. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to start this football school.”
Maradona also spoke emotionally about the influence his uncle had on his life.
“My uncle is everything to me,” he said. “Not only for what he did on the field, but for who he was with us off the field. He was always there for the family. I’m very grateful for everything he left us.”
He added: “Nobody can believe there’s a Maradona in Canada. But when they see how passionate I am about football, they understand where I come from.”
The academy is also expanding internationally through tournaments and travel opportunities.
“We’re doing many international tournaments now to give the kids more exposure,” Maradona explained. “At the end of May we’ll be at the Dreams Cup in Miami with Inter Miami, and at the beginning of June we’re taking a team to Barcelona for another major international tournament called MIC7.”
Nahuel Molina is out with a tear and is set to miss three weeks.
Molina will be out for three weeks with Atletico Mdarid. Molina was substituted into the match for Atletico Madrid in their 1-0 loss against Celta Vigo but after the match, it was revealed that he suffered a tear.
The 28 year old is expected to miss three weeks and while the Argentina national team will play their first match at the World Cup in June 16, it would mean that Molina would be arriving to the World Cup without much form.
Lionel Messi delivered another memorable performance for Inter Miami, scoring once and providing two assists in a 4-2 away win over Toronto FC in MLS. The Argentine forward also became the fastest player in league history to reach 100 goal contributions.
Inter Miami entered the match looking to bounce back after their dramatic 4-3 loss to Orlando City, where they had blown a 3-0 lead. This time, the Florida side responded with a valuable victory in Canada to move into second place in the Eastern Conference.
Messi was involved throughout the match and nearly opened the scoring midway through the first half with a dangerous free kick that narrowly missed the target. Minutes later, he came close again after receiving the ball inside the box and firing just wide of the post.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 44th minute through Rodrigo De Paul. After a failed clearance following a free kick, De Paul reacted quickly and struck a volley into the corner to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead before halftime.
Messi continued to create problems after the break. In the 58th minute, he assisted Inter Miami’s second goal with a precise pass after spotting space in the Toronto defense. Later in the second half, the Argentine combined again with De Paul in a quick attacking move before receiving the return pass and calmly finishing to make it 4-0.
Toronto scored twice late in the match to make the final scoreline closer, but Inter Miami still secured an important away victory. With the result, the team now sits just behind Nashville SC in the Eastern Conference standings.
Lautaro Martínez returned to the starting lineup in style as Inter defeated Lazio 3-0 away from home in Serie A, with the Argentine scoring once and providing an assist in another standout performance ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Already crowned Serie A champions last week, Inter visited the Stadio Olimpico for matchday 36 and comfortably beat the same Lazio side they will face again this Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final.
After missing two weeks due to a soleus injury, Lautaro needed only five minutes to make an impact. Following a quick throw-in and a moment of confusion in the Lazio defense, the Inter captain reacted first inside the area and finished with a volley to give the Nerazzurri the lead.
The Argentine forward was involved again just before halftime. In the 39th minute, Lautaro combined with a teammate inside the box before laying the ball off to Croatian midfielder Petar Sucic, who finished with his left foot to make it 2-0.
Despite missing several matches this season through injury, Lautaro continues to lead Serie A’s scoring charts with 17 goals. The former Racing Club striker also has six assists, matching Federico Dimarco as Inter’s top contributor in goals and assists combined this campaign.
With less than a month to go before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lautaro appears to be regaining top form after dealing with hamstring and soleus problems that kept him sidelined for over a month.
While Inter were eliminated from the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt earlier in the season, they have already secured the Serie A title and now have the chance to add the Coppa Italia on Wednesday against Lazio to cap off a strong campaign.
