TheArgentine National Team has already set off towards the 2026 World Cup. During the early hours of this Sunday, a delegation led by Lionel Scaloni departed from the Ezeiza training ground heading to the United States to begin the final stage of preparation before defending the title won in Qatar 2022.
The charter flight transported most of the squad and the entire support staff that usually accompanies the team: coaching staff, doctors, equipment managers, officials, and administrative personnel. The destination of the trip is Kansas City, a city that will serve as the operations center for the Albiceleste during their participation in the World Cup.
Among the players who traveled from Buenos Aires are Nicolás Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez, Nicolás Otamendi, Valentín Barco, Leonardo Balerdi, Gerónimo Rulli, Nahuel Molina, Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolás González, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz, José López, Exequiel Palacios, and Leandro Paredes, who is still recovering from a muscle tear suffered at the end of the season with Boca.
They are joined by several youth players called up specifically to accompany the training sessions and participate in the friendlies leading up to the World Cup: Santiago Beltrán and Joaquín Freitas (River), Tomás Aranda (Boca), Ignacio Ovando (Rosario Central), and Simón Escobar (Vélez). Additionally, Nicolás Capaldo (Hamburg) and Agustín Giay (Palmeiras) will also be present in case they need to replace Montiel on the final list, depending on the evolution of his muscle injury in the left quadriceps.
On the other hand, several members of the final list will join directly on U.S. soil. Among them are Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Emiliano Martínez, Alexis Mac Allister, Juan Musso, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina, and Lautaro Martínez, who will arrive from different parts of the world once their commitments with their respective clubs are completed.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) chose Kansas City as the main venue after several months of analysis, considering it a location that allows for relatively simple logistics for the movements that the National Team will have to make during the first phase of the tournament. The squad will stay at the Origin Hotel, while training will take place at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, a complex belonging to Sporting Kansas City of MLS, which is about 30 kilometers away from the hotel.
The facility features state-of-the-art amenities, including personalized locker rooms, tactical analysis rooms, integrated audiovisual technology, recovery areas with hydrotherapy, and a gym specially equipped for the demands of a top-level competition. Additionally, the AFA has set up a special space within the hotel, with a new gym and a tent designated for family visits during the training camp.
The team will train at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center.
After several days of adaptation and training on U.S. soil, the team will face two preparatory friendlies before their World Cup debut. The first will be on June 6 against Honduras in Texas, while the second, with returning to the bunker in between, will be played on June 9 against Iceland in Alabama.
After these commitments, the squad will return to their base to focus exclusively on their World Cup debut in Group J, a group that includes Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Their participation will begin on Tuesday, June 16 against the Africans at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, followed by a match against the Europeans on Monday, June 22 at the Dallas Stadium, and finally closing the first phase with their match against the Asians on Saturday, June 27, again in Kansas.
