After settling in Qatar, Argentina will return to play back home to celebrate with its fans and a roster featuring both seasoned World Cup champions and emerging talents.
Four months after a triumph in Qatar, the Argentina national team resumes action to share the moment with supporters and push toward defending the title in 2026. Taking advantage of the FIFA window, the Albiceleste will play two friendlies in their own country, bringing the current world champions together with promising youngsters in the squad.
THE FIXTURE FOR THE ARGENTINE SIDE
Argentina hosts Panama on Thursday, March 23 at the Más Monumental in Núñez, Buenos Aires. Five days later, on Tuesday, March 28, the team travels to Santiago del Estero to face Curacao in the Mother of Cities stadium.
TICKETS FOR ARGENTINA VS PANAMA
CALLED UP PLAYERS
On Friday, March 3, the Argentine Football Association released a provisional list of 35 players reserved for the FIFA window. The squad combines Qatar’s world champions with several young prospects eyeing a chance to impress the coach from Pujato, Lionel Scaloni.
The notable inclusion is Alejandro Garnacho. The Manchester United youngster is among world football’s brightest prospects and holds Spanish nationality as well. Although he had been called up for the last qualifiers, the current plan includes his potential presence with the Albiceleste shirt. Unfortunately, Garnacho sustained an ankle injury in a Premier League match and will be sidelined for several weeks, as confirmed by Manchester United. He posted on social media that he was disappointed to miss the opportunity to represent Argentina and share in the pride with teammates.
Other surprises are Maximo Perrone, who recently debuted for Manchester City, and Facundo Buonanotte, the former Rosario Central talent who joined Brighton & Hove Albion at 18. Also highlighted are Valentin Carboni, 17, who plays for Inter Milan, and Lautaro Blanco, 24, formerly with Rosario Central and now a left back at Elche.
Among the omissions from the Qatar squad are Nehuen Perez, who was left out as the squad trimmed to 26 players, and Nicolas Gonzalez, who had to withdraw due to injury before the debut against Saudi Arabia. Scaloni also kept injured World Cup players Papu Gomez and Gio Lo Celso in the squad but did not select Joaquin Correa, who had recovered after an earlier setback and faced similar issues to Nico Gonzalez during Qatar. A week later, the coach expanded the call to include Giovani Simeone, who had been provisionally listed for Qatar and has since been getting minutes with Napoli.
On Friday, March 17, a second round of reductions was announced. One World Cup champion was dropped as Papu Gomez explained via social media that an injury would prevent him from traveling to greet and support the group. He expressed regret at missing the opportunity but looked forward to recovering and rejoining the team in the future. The layoff followed his 2022 World Cup contribution, which included a ligament injury against Australia that required surgery upon returning to Spain. He affirmed that he did not regret giving his all to win the trophy.
Another note from the timeline is that Papu issued a heartfelt farewell to fans, emphasizing the bond with La Scaloneta and the unity of the squad. The post reflected pride in the team’s journey and confidence that the group would continue to achieve great things.
Georgian Simeone was added to the roster soon after as a provisional inclusion, while the player has been getting minutes with Napoli as a substitute and contributor on the field.
In the midst of roster changes, the national team’s preparations included a detailed listing of players for the upcoming fixtures. The players for the Panama match included the goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards who were expected to feature prominently in these friendly encounters.
The forward line features Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Julián Álvarez, Alejandro Garnacho, Nicolás Gonzalez, and Giovanni Simeone, while the midfield bank includes Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Enzo Fernández, Máximo Perrone, Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Facundo Buonanotte, Thiago Almada, Giovani Lo Celso, Alexis Mac Allister, Ángel Di María, Ángel Correa, Emiliano Buendía, and Valentín Carboni. The defensive cord includes Juan Foyth, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Nehuén Pérez, Germán Pezzella, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico, Marcos Acuña, and Lautaro Blanco. The attack boasts a frontline led by Messi and Dybala, with Julián Álvarez alongside them in an aggressive, creative setup.
ARGENTINA’S TRAINING AGAINST PANAMA
Several sources indicate Scaloni will deploy the world champion formation seen in the final against France, while rotating between World Cup veterans and talented youngsters. If this approach holds, the starting lineup could mirror the players who lifted the trophy, with strategic substitutions to test different combinations.
The anticipated starting eleven would be Emiliano Martinez in goal; Nahuel Molina Lucero, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico in defense; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis MacAllister in midfield; Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, and Julian Alvarez in attack.
REPLACEMENTS
To be determined.
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Source: Goal