With Nicolas Gonzalez sidelined due to injury, Argentina has confirmed another absence from Lionel Messi’s squad for November’s 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
By Gianni Taina
By Gianni Taina
The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Messi, is set to reunite for the next round of 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, where they’ll face Paraguay on Thursday and then take on Peru in Buenos Aires next Tuesday.
Ahead of these matchups, Argentina announced on their official social media that defender German Pezzella has been ruled out of the squad. Despite initially being called up by head coach Lionel Scaloni, Pezzella was left off the roster due to physical setbacks.
The former Real Betis defender is dealing with a muscle strain in his right calf. While he’s close to being cleared to play for his club, River Plate, Pezzella has been sidelined from official action for a few weeks due to this injury.
This marks the second loss to Scaloni’s roster since the initial squad announcement, following Nicolas Gonzalez’s absence. Gonzalez sustained a quad strain in early October and has yet to return to action for Juventus.
German Pezzella of Argentina controls the ball during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group A match between Argentina and Peru at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry/Getty Images
With just three days before the first fixture, Scaloni has not yet announced whether he’ll call up a replacement. For now, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Nehuen Perez, and Lisandro Martinez remain the available defenders on the team.
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The squad, captained by Messi, will travel to Paraguay to face off at Defensores del Chaco Stadium on Thursday, November 14, before returning to Buenos Aires to host Peru at La Bombonera on Tuesday, November 19.
Argentina currently top the CONMEBOL standings with 22 points, followed by Colombia with 19 points. Paraguay sit in sixth place with 13 points and are looking for a win to stay competitive, while Peru find theirself near elimination, second-to-last with just six points.
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, specializing in soccer, the NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he made his initial strides as a writer. Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like Roland Garros. His ability to report on real-time events and write under pressure has established him as a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, where he covers a wide range of sports, including European soccer, MLS, and the NBA. Gianni earned his degree in Communication from Deportea in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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