Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, after they won the trophy in 2022 by defeating France in the final. As such, expectations are sky-high for La Albiceleste.
Sadly, this means that a myriad of top-quality players will have to miss out on their 2026 World Cup squad. We have put together an XI of players who we think won’t make it to the tournament – including stars from AS Roma, Chelsea and Manchester United.
GK: Paulo Gazzaniga
We feel for Paulo Gazzaniga – he was consistently overlooked during his prime years and is now too old to mount a serious international comeback.
At the age of 34, he hasn’t played for Argentina since 2018 – it’s safe to say he will not be featuring at the 2026 World Cup.
RB: Pablo Maffeo
Pablo Maffeo can consider himself unlucky to be in an XI akin to this one. A perfectly solid player, one needs to be more than just ‘solid’ to make it into a all-star team such as Argentina’s.
A Spanish national, he qualifies for the Argentina team through his mother. He is also eligible to represent Italy – after the Italians crashed out in the playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, they will likely need him more than Argentina will moving forwards.
CB: Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez has been a bit of a disappointment since joining Manchester United. Despite putting in a few world-class performances for the Red Devils, his form has been largely inconsistent since his arrival at Old Trafford.
Not only this, he is out of favour with Lionel Scaloni at the moment – furthermore, Martinez has struggled with injuries over the course of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
CB: Lucas Martínez Quarta
Lucas Martinez Quarta was part of the Argentina squad that won the World Cup in 2022 – however, he has not been in contention since 2024.
Currently, the 29-year-old plays for River Plate in his native country, following a five-year stint with Fiorentina in the Serie A.