Captain Lionel Messi will lead the 28-player Argentina roster as the World Cup winner faces Guatemala in a friendly on March 31 at Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.
Messi and his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul will form part of the roster, which was announced Wednesday, alongside regulars like Julián Álvarez, Emiliano Martínez, Enzo Fernández and Leandro Paredes.
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The Argentina Football Association (AFA) scheduled the last-minute game after the official cancellation of the Finalissima.
The match between Argentina, the winners of the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024, and Spain, the champions of the UEFA EURO 2024, was originally scheduled to be played in Qatar on March 27 before being canceled due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
#SelecciónMayor 📋Lista de convocados por el entrenador Lionel Scaloni para la Fecha FIFA de marzo.
¡Vamos Argentina! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/dzyWhNClTD
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 18, 2026
CONMEBOL confirmed in a statement that all involved parties discussed other dates and venues for the match but could not reach an agreement.
The release emphasized that the AFA on Saturday “accepted the idea without objection, except for the date, suggesting March 31. Unfortunately, UEFA announced that holding the match on the 31st — just four days later than the original proposal — was not possible, and the Finalissima was cancelled.”
Argentina pivoted to find an opponent for the upcoming March international window.
“Following the cancellation of the Finalissima, Lionel Scaloni’s team will travel to Argentina for a week of intensive training and will play a friendly match against Guatemala on Tuesday, March 31,” said the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in a statement.
The friendly is currently the only one Argentina has announced ahead of defending its FIFA World Cup title. Argentina will begin World Cup group play against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16, followed by matches with Austria and Jordan.
The Argentina national team last played on Nov. 14, defeating Angola 2-0 in a friendly.