The Argentine national team, as the World Cup champion, announced the list of players invited to the current March camp, and the list included 28 players, the most prominent of whom was Benfica player Gianluca Pristiani. On the other hand, the name of Franco Mastantuno, the Real Madrid star, who is considered the most prominent excluded, was absent.
After canceling the final match of the Finalsima Cup against Spain, the Argentine national team will play only one friendly match against Guatemala on March 31, as part of the preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
The list announced by the Argentine Federation on Wednesday was topped by the team’s star and captain, Lionel Messi, while Gianluca Pristiani got a new opportunity after his first participation with the national team in a friendly match against Angola in November 2025.
It is worth noting that Pristiani, a young player in Benfica’s ranks, recently caught attention after a verbal altercation with Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior during the two teams’ match in the Champions League, noting that he played only four minutes at the international level.
Nico Paz, who is performing at outstanding levels with Italian Como under the leadership of Cesc Fabregas, will also join the training camp.
Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine national team coach, also called up some local players, such as Racing’s Gabriel Rojas and Estudiantes’ Tomas Palacios. Franco Mastantuno remains the most prominent absentee from the list due to his lack of participation with Real Madrid, which raises questions about the possibility of his participation in the World Cup.
