The reigning world champion Argentina national football team arrived in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon to establish its official logistics headquarters ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The official delegation of the South American squad landed in the state of Missouri, which will serve as the team’s administrative and tactical búnker during the football tournament.

The squad traveled on charter flight AR 1978, operated by the state-owned carrier Argentinean Airlines, completing an eleven-hour journey from Buenos Aires.

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With the arrival of the coaching staff and the first group of players at the Mid-Continent International Airport, the current world champions officially began their acclimation period in North America, aimed at defending the historic title they won at the Qatar 2022 tournament.

Text reads: “World mode ON. Hello Kansas!”

Logistics and Travel

The journey of the Argentinan squad began late Saturday night at the high-performance training facility Lionel Andrés Messi, located in the Ezeiza municipality of Buenos Aires. There, the team completed its initial physical preparation and tactical sessions before moving to the airport terminal. In the early hours of Sunday, ground transportation moved the entire group directly to a restricted security zone at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport to expedite mandatory immigration checks for the athletes.

Airport authorities reported that the aircraft experienced a minor logistical delay on the runway, which rescheduled the official departure time to the Northern Hemisphere for 2:16 A.M. local Argentina’s time.

Squad and Staff

The athletic delegation was led by head coach Lionel Scaloni and his technical assistants, former national team players Roberto Ayala, Pablo Aimar and Walter Samuel. An administrative development was the temporary absence of the president of the Argentinean Football Association (AFA), Claudio Tapia, who did not board the initial flight due to institutional commitments in Europe. The executive attended the final match of the UEFA Champions League in Budapest, where French club Paris Saint-Germain secured its second consecutive European title.

The group that boarded the direct charter flight to Missouri comprises eighteen of the 26 pre-selected football players. This initial group features core defensive and midfield figures such as Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, Julián Álvarez and Enzo Fernández. Additionally, young international talents Valentín Barco and Nicolás Paz traveled with this advance party to begin adaptation to local weather conditions. Sports agencies in Buenos Aires confirmed that the remaining eight players who compete for foreign clubs will travel independently and join the training camp in Kansas within the next 48 hours.

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10 Players Injured

The Argentina’s national football team is conditioned by physical discomfort affecting 10 players just weeks before the start of the World Cup 2026.

Starting goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez suffers a fracture in his right ring finger that requires 20 days of immobilization. This injury rules him out of the friendly matches against Honduras and Iceland, though he expects to recover for the opening match against Argelia on June 16.

Right-back Nahuel Molina is completing recovery from a left hamstring tear, while Gonzalo Montiel rehabilitates from a quadriceps injury that threatens his tournament selection, potentially opening spots for Nicolás Capaldo, Agustín Giay, or Kevin Mac Allister.

Center-back Cristian Romero recovers from a right knee ligament sprain suffered on April 12, requiring five to eight weeks of rehabilitation, leaving Leonardo Balerdi as his immediate replacement. In the midfield, Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes sustains a hamstring tear that endangers his participation. Máximo Perrone emerges as the primary replacement option if his departure is confirmed. Meanwhile, midfielder Thiago Almada manages muscle overload but remains available for the upcoming preparatory matches.

Winger Nicolás González advances in his recovery from a left thigh tear sustained in late April, while midfielder Nicolás Paz faces left knee discomfort that limits his shooting ability. In the attack, captain Lionel Messi undergoes daily medical monitoring due to hamstring fatigue. At 39 years of age, his physical evolution remains critical for the South American offense. Finally, striker Julián Álvarez recovers favorably from a left ankle sprain to join team practices.

Argentina’s Official List

• Goalkeepers: Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille) and Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa).
• Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille) and Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid).
• Mediocampists: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Valentín Barco (Strasbourg Racing), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis MacAllister (Liverpool) and Enzo Fernández (Chelsea).
• Strikers: Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Atlético Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Torino), Nicolás Paz (Como), José López (Palmeiras) and Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan).

Next Friday the Argentinean team will start the trip to Texas, where on Saturday they will face Honduras at College Station in the first preliminary friendly. On Sunday he will continue training in Texas and on Monday he will head to Alabama for the test on Tuesday 9th at Auburn with Iceland.

On the same day, the group will return to Kansas to work until the debut of the World Cup on Tuesday, June 16 with Algeria in that same city. With Austria on June 22, the action will move to Arlington, Texas, and there will also be immediate return to the Kansas bunker. On June 27, against Jordan, the scene will be repeated, and it will have to be seen since this is a last-minute match if they take the charter that morning or spend the night there.

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