Argentina cautiously monitors Nico Paz's knee ahead of the start of its world title defense
Argentina has entered the final phase of preparations for the 2026 World Cup with an issue that, inside the national-team camp, cannot be reduced to a classic pre-tournament concern. According to the Spanish outlet AS on June 3, 2026, Nico Paz's participation is once again in doubt because of a knee problem he has been carrying from the closing stages of the club season at Como. The young Argentine midfielder, one of the most prominent players of the Italian top-flight club in the 2025/26 season, suffered the injury in the match against Hellas Verona, the third from last of the league season. The same source states that it was initially assessed as a minor issue that should not have jeopardized his participation in the tournament, but that the optimism of the last few hours has been replaced by a greater degree of caution. In the Argentine environment, according to the available information, there is currently no talk of a definitive removal from the squad, but rather of the status of a player who must be monitored day by day.
The injury that changed a calm end to the season
Paz's knee problem did not appear at a time when the national-team squad was still only a subject of speculation, but after a season in which the 21-year-old footballer further strengthened his status as one of Argentina's important talents. AS writes that he took a blow to the knee in the match against Hellas Verona and that, because of the consequences of that problem, he missed Como's remaining two matches. Such a development would not usually have to mean a serious alarm, especially when the club and the national team assess that the absence is preventive in nature. Still, ahead of a major tournament, every uncertainty surrounding the knee of a player whose game is based on changes of rhythm, turning, carrying the ball and short accelerations takes on additional weight. According to AS, the latest assessments indicate that this is no longer being discussed merely as ordinary muscular discomfort, which is why the Argentine staff do not want to make sudden decisions before further medical checks.
In such situations, the difference between pain that settles down and an injury that does not allow competitive intensity can be decisive. Argentina do not have to change the squad immediately, but they must know whether Paz can take part in the training sessions that will precede the first match and whether he can withstand the rhythm of a tournament that will demand quick adaptation and broad rotation from national teams. According to the AFA's announcement, Paz was included on May 28 in the final list of 26 players who are expected to defend the title won in Qatar in 2022. This means that, at the moment the squad list was announced, he was part of Scaloni's plan, even though his physical situation was already being monitored. Now the main question is whether his condition will stabilize quickly enough for him to remain a realistic option from the start of the competition.
Why Paz is important in Scaloni's group
The importance of Nico Paz does not stem only from his potential, but also from the concrete season he played in Serie A. According to Como's official profile, Paz made 35 appearances in the Italian league in the 2025/26 season, started 33 times, played 2,886 minutes and scored 12 goals. For a player listed by Como as a midfielder wearing number 10, those are figures that explain why he is viewed in Argentina as a different profile compared with some of the already established internationals. He can play between the lines, drop toward the middle of the pitch, arrive in the final phase and connect possession with attack, qualities that are especially valuable against opponents who defend in a low block. His form also received official recognition in Italy because Lega Serie A announced that Paz had been chosen as the best midfielder of the Serie A Enilive 2025/26 season.
That context explains why the news of the injury is not being treated as marginal information, but as a potentially important problem for the world champion. Argentina have experience, depth and several players of the highest international class, but after Ángel Di María's departure from the national team, the space for creative players of a different rhythm has gained additional value. AS sees precisely that as the reason why a possible absence of Paz would leave a visible gap in the middle and attacking zones. He is not necessarily projected as the absolute driving force of the team from the first round, but he is a profile who can change the structure of a match from the bench or offer Scaloni a different setup in the final third. When a tournament is played over a short period, such players often become decisive not only because of their talent, but also because of their ability to break tactical predictability.
The final squad has already been announced, but the rules allow a change in the event of a serious injury
The AFA officially announced that Lionel Scaloni had named 26 players for the 2026 World Cup, with Paz listed among the forwards alongside Lionel Messi, Nicolás González, Giuliano Simeone, Lautaro Martínez, José Manuel López, Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada. In the national-team classification, that does not have to mean the coaching staff see him exclusively as a classic forward, but rather as an attacking player who covers the space between the midfield and attacking lines. The list shows that Argentina have retained the core of the team that won major competitions, but at the same time opened space for players who represent the next cycle. Paz is one of those footballers, and his status therefore has both sporting and symbolic significance. If he is not ready, the decision will not be only medical but also tactical, because the replacement must fit the role Scaloni had planned for the tournament.
According to the AFA's explanation of the rules for squads at the 2026 World Cup, each national team may have at least 23 and at most 26 players in the final registration, including at least three goalkeepers. The same document states that a player from the final list may be replaced only in the event of a serious injury or illness, and only by a player from the preliminary list, no later than 24 hours before the national team's first match at the tournament. This is important because Argentina, according to FIFA's current schedule, open their Group J campaign against Algeria in Kansas City, in a match scheduled for June 16 local time, which falls on June 17 in European time zones. In other words, the Argentine staff have formal room to react, but that room is not unlimited. The closer the decision gets to the start of the match, the greater the risk that the change will happen without enough time for tactical integration.
Buendía as the most likely reserve if the recovery does not go according to plan
AS states that Emiliano Buendía is on standby if it turns out that Paz cannot take part in the World Cup. Such a scenario has both legal and sporting logic because Buendía was on the Argentine preliminary list that the AFA announced in May. According to the official Premier League profile, Buendía is an Argentine midfielder for Aston Villa, born on December 25, 1996, and is listed by the English club as a midfield player. Compared with Paz, he is a more experienced footballer, with a longer record in senior European football and a profile that can also cover the space behind the striker or toward the wing. His possible activation would therefore not be just an administrative replacement, but an attempt to preserve the creative component that would be lost through Paz's absence.
According to AS, Buendía reached the closing stages of the season in good competitive shape, and therefore presents himself as a logical solution if needed. Still, replacing a player immediately before a tournament always changes the balance of the group. Paz is younger, left-footed, with a different type of dribbling and a strong season in the Italian environment, while Buendía brings experience, range of movement and the habit of playing in a physically demanding league. In that case, Scaloni would have to assess whether he needs a player who most closely resembles the original idea or one who, at this moment, offers a safer physical picture. Until an official decision is made, the most precise formulation remains that Paz is doubtful and Buendía ready for a possible call-up if the medical assessment worsens.
Argentina defend the title in an expanded tournament format
The 2026 World Cup will be played from June 11 to July 19, as the AFA states in its overview of the rules and deadlines for registering players. The tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first edition with 48 national teams, and FIFA's official schedule lists a total of 104 matches. Argentina have been placed in Group J with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, while FIFA's overview of the Argentine national team confirms that Lionel Scaloni's side enter the tournament as defending champions. That status by itself increases the pressure, but also the expectations of stability within the team. That is why the condition of every player on the final squad is particularly sensitive, especially when it concerns a footballer who represents a link between the present and the future of the national team.
The first match against Algeria in Kansas City will be an early test for Argentina, not only in terms of the result but also regarding the availability of the squad. FIFA's match centre states that the meeting will be played at Kansas City Stadium, starting on June 17 at 01:00 Coordinated Universal Time, which corresponds to the evening slot on June 16 in Kansas City. By then, the Argentine staff will need to have a clearer picture of whether Paz can train without a reaction from the knee and whether he can compete for minutes in the first phase of the tournament at all. If he remains on the list but is not sufficiently ready, Argentina would be carrying a player whose contribution in the group could be limited. If they replace him, they lose a player whose season at Como showed that he can be more than a development project.
Como, Real Madrid's academy and the national-team future
Paz's path further increases the interest in his status. He is a player who matured football-wise in Real Madrid's system and then received space at Como for senior continuity and greater responsibility. Como present him on their official website as a 21-year-old Argentine midfielder, which corresponds to the profile of a footballer who could have an important role in the national team even after this tournament. His Serie A season was strong enough for the Italian league to reward him with the status of the best midfielder in the championship, and that recognition further raised expectations before the World Cup. For Argentina, such a development was ideal because Scaloni could include a player who is not only a promise, but already has a season with serious impact in one of Europe's most demanding leagues.
That is precisely why the knee issue has broader significance than a single medical note. If Paz is ready, Argentina get a young player in a surge of form, with international motivation and the ability to bring creativity in matches in which space will not be easy to find. If he is not ready, the national team will have to adapt the plan quickly and rely on the greater reliability of other options. AS does not currently state that a decision to cut him has been made, and the AFA had not announced any change to the final squad by June 3, 2026. This means that the case remains open, with an increasingly clear need for the next medical findings to provide an answer that will be important for Scaloni's plan at the start of the defense of the world crown.
Sources:
- AS – report from June 3, 2026 on Nico Paz's status, knee injury and the possibility that Emiliano Buendía could be called up as a replacement (link)
- Asociación del Fútbol Argentino – official announcement of Argentina's final squad for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Asociación del Fútbol Argentino – overview of FIFA rules on squad size, deadlines and possible replacements due to injury or illness (link)
- FIFA – official match centre for Argentina - Algeria in Group J of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Como 1907 – official profile of Nico Paz with club data and statistics for the 2025/26 season (link)
- Lega Serie A – official announcement of the Serie A Enilive 2025/26 MVP award winners, including the recognition of Nico Paz as best midfielder (link)
- Premier League – official profile of Emiliano Buendía as an Aston Villa midfielder and Argentina international (link)