There has been a change in the Argentina team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Defender Leonardo Balardi is out due to injury. Marcos Senesi has been included in the team in his place.
New York: There has been a major change in the defending champion Argentina team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Marcos Senesi has been included in the team in place of defender Leonardo Balerdi, who was out due to injury. Marseille centre-back Belardi was preparing to play in his first World Cup but suffered a right foot injury last week. After this he had to leave the team.
Initially there was some confusion as to who would replace Balerdi. There were reports that perhaps a midfielder would be included in the team, but in the end Senesi got the chance.
Senesi will join the squad ahead of Argentina’s first match against Algeria on 15 June. He performed brilliantly for English Premier League club Bournemouth last season. He played an important role in the club qualifying for a European tournament for the first time in its history. However, despite having the opportunity to play in the Europa League with Bournemouth, Senesi rejected the club’s new contract offer.
According to reports, he wants to move to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer. Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season. 29-year-old Senesi has so far played three matches for Argentina’s senior team.
The entire Argentina team is as follows
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico de Madrid)
Defender: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico de Madrid), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (S.L. Benfica), Marcos Senesi (Tottenham Hotspur), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Facundo Medina (Olympique de Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais).
Midfielder: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis McAllister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Valentin Barco (RC Strasbourg)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como 1907), Thiago Almada (Atletico de Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico de Madrid), Juliano Simeoni (Atletico de Madrid), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel López (Palmerías), Julián Álvarez (Atletico de Madrid).