Lionel Messi returns to international duty with Argentina, training with the national team, as South America’s long qualifying road to the 2026 World Cup kicks off against Ecuador.
Argentina will face Moisés Caicedo’s Ecuador on Thursday at the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium in its first official match since winning the World cup in December.
The last time a World Cup winner played in South American qualifying was in 2003, when Brazil had to secure its spot in a tournament with 32 teams.
The 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada is expanding to a 48-team format, which means the number of direct spots from South America increases from four to six and the seventh-place team goes into an intercontinental playoff for another place.
So teams like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are almost sure to advance from the round-robin qualification tournament that runs until September 2025. The new format has led many top coaches and players to see the tournament as preparation and an opportunity for renovation rather than a make-or-break competition.
The Argentina squad will be laden with World Cup winners, with the 36-year-old Messi joined by the likes of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, defender Nicolás Otamendi, midfielder Enzo Fernández and striker Julián Álvarez.
Since moving to the U.S. from Europe to join Inter Miami, Messi has scored 11 goals in MLS and is in good form.
“The start is always complicated,” Scaloni told Argentina’s soccer association website. “The first round always has its shades. I hope our players get there in shape and are able to enjoy the match with our people. And we have to compete, that’s what we like to do.” Ecuador’s lineup will feature Caicedo, who was recently signed by Chelsea for $146 million, and also include veteran striker Enner Valencia and 16-year-old sensation Kendry Páez. Its head coach, Félix Sánchez Bas of Spain, will debut in South American qualifying.
The Ecuador lineup will have the double disadvantage of playing away, and starting the competition three points behind the other nine teams.
FIFA punished Ecuador with the deduction of three points in South American qualifying for the falsification of birth information of defender Byron Castillo, who is of Colombian origin. So even a shocking upset win in Argentina would only get Bas and his team back to zero.
-AP
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