Messi will be there, but these stars could be left out of Argentina National Team

The Argentina National Team will play this Thursday night its first official match after winning the World Cup in Qatar 2022. Almost 9 months have passed since that epic final against France at Lusail Stadium and now the South American team will start its way to the next World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.

The first match of the South American qualifiers will be played this Thursday. This time it will be easier to get a place in the next World Cup, since from 2026 onwards there will be 48 teams that will play it, instead of 32. Therefore, 6 of the 10 CONMEBOL teams will qualify directly to the World Cup, while the seventh will play an intercontinental playoff in March 2026. This means that only 3 will be left out.

Argentina's first match will be against Ecuador at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires. There, more than 80,000 people will be able to enjoy the magic of Lionel Messi and the other stars of the team. But it is still unclear who will accompany Leo in the starting lineup, as coach Lionel Scaloni has not yet announced it publicly.

According to journalist Gastón Edul, most of the players will be the same as those who played in the World Cup final against France, but there are two doubts: Angel Di María and Julián Alvarez could be left out. The Champions League winners with Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively, could be replaced by Nicolás González from Fiorentina and Lautaro Martínez from Inter.

What is the likely lineup?

Lionel Scaloni's team to face Ecuador on Thursday will be: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis MacAllister, Angel Di Maria or Nicolas Gonzalez; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez.