West Ham star forward left out of defending World Cup champions’ squad

• Valentín Castellanos was left out of Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man World Cup squad
• Castellanos has two caps for Argentina
• The 27-year-old forward could leave West Ham this summer despite arriving in January 2026

West Ham forward Valentín Castellanos has not been named in the Argentina 2026 World Cup squad as the 2022 winners head to North America to defend their crown.

Despite scoring ten goals this season with the Hammers and Serie A side Lazio, there was no place in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad for Castellanos, who has earned two international caps since making his debut for La Albiceleste in 2024.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi headlines a star-studded frontline selection, including Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez. There were reports that Messi could miss the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico due to a recent hamstring injury, which would have opened up the spot for a wildcard option in Castellanos. However, the 39-year-old MLS star was a prominent name in Thursday’s announcement and was expected to be captain after lifting his first World Cup in Qatar four years prior.

Another notable omission alongside Castellanos is Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono, who has struggled to adapt to the demands of European football since making the €63.2 million switch to La Liga.

Although Castellanos won’t be donning the stateside sun, West Ham will be represented, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo), El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal), Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), and Tomáš Souček (Czechia) have all been called up for their respective nations.

Valentín Castellanos Argentina snub could spark West Ham exit

It became clear towards the end of the season that if West Ham were to go down, there would be a handful of players unlikely to join them. One was midfield metronome Mateus Fernandes, who emerged as one of the Premier League’s brightest talents and is now coveted by Europe’s biggest clubs. Another was Castellanos.

The Argentine striker had a promising start to his Hammers career after arriving from Lazio in January 2026 and displayed his quality skillset in the final run-in, scoring twice in the final two games, including an ingenious finish against Newcastle United.

Castellanos, 27, joined West Ham to play in the top flight and further his international prospects, which were clearly stuttering as a rotational figure in Italy. However, with the club now in the Championship and a reported 50% pay cut to players’ salaries following the drop, the likelihood is increasing that Castellanos won’t be in claret and blue when the club season restarts in August.