Lionel Scaloni has named a 55-man preliminary longlist for the 2026 World Cup — and Paulo Dybala is not in it. For a player of his profile, still performing in Serie A with Roma, that's not a footnote. That's a statement.
Scaloni released the longlist on 11 May, casting a wide net across European football and including several Serie A-based players in the process. The full 55-man list has not been confirmed in detail by a single official source — Football Italia reports the Serie A inclusions without naming every player — but the headline is already clear: Dybala's name is absent.
At 31, Dybala is not a fading figure. He has remained one of the more technically gifted players in Serie A, and Roma have leaned on him heavily across the season. His exclusion is not the kind that gets explained away by form or fitness alone.
Dybala's Argentina career has never quite matched the anticipation around it. He arrived in the national setup as one of the most exciting forwards of his generation, yet found himself perpetually in the shadow of a squad built around Lionel Messi — and, more recently, shaped by the collective energy that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He was part of that squad, coming off the bench in the final against France, but his role was always peripheral.
Under Scaloni, the hierarchy has been consistent. The coach trusts a core group, and Dybala — despite the talent — has never quite forced his way into it. This longlist suggests that dynamic has not changed.
A preliminary longlist of 55 is exactly that — preliminary. Players can be added, injuries shift things, and the final 26 is a long way from here. But omission at this stage, from a list this generous, carries weight. Scaloni had room. He chose not to include Dybala.
The fact that other Serie A players did make the cut only sharpens the point. The league's pipeline into the Argentina squad remains open — just not for Roma's number 21.
Dybala has not publicly responded, according to available reports. He didn't have to. The list speaks clearly enough.
Lionel Scaloni has named a 55-man preliminary longlist for the 2026 World Cup — and Paulo Dybala is not in it. For a player of his profile, still performing in Serie A with Roma, that's not a footnote.
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Football Italia
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