В последнюю минуту Дибала присоединился к сборной Аргентины.

Paulo Dybala has been absent from the Argentina national team shirt for a long time. His last appearance was in March 2023. The Argentine champion was not in the Copa America squad. Even on the eve of the 2026 World Cup, he was not in the qualifying team. At the last minute, he unexpectedly got a chance to get into the Argentina national team for the World Cup.

Dybala's inclusion in Argentina's World Cup qualifiers was announced on social media. The Argentine Football Federation confirmed the information on its official website X. Argentine newspaper Mundo Albiceleste believes that Dybala's inclusion in the squad is an important reason why Messi is not recovering from his injury.

A representative of the Argentine Football Federation reported that Roma footballer Paulo Dybala has been included in the World Cup squad in South America. He was selected by Lionel Scaloni. However, neither the federation nor coach Lionel Scaloni have officially said anything about Dybala's sudden return to the team. However, the Argentine media outlet Mundo Albiceleste reported that Dybala was included because Lionel Messi has not yet recovered from an injury.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni announced the squad for the World Cup qualifiers in Latin America last Wednesday night. Roma striker Paulo Dybala was not included in the 28-man squad. Scaloni suddenly changed his mind.

Dybala was not part of Argentina's Copa America-winning squad. Scaloni faced some criticism in this regard. His injuries and poor form made it difficult to get him back into the team. However, Dybala caught Scaloni's eye after he played two matches for Roma in the new season. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Al-Qadsia offered Dybala. But he returned him.

Paulo Dybala said: "I want to return to the Argentina national team." I thought about many things before turning down the offer from Saudi Arabia. I put the desire to return to my family, my wife, my city, my team and the national team first. Big money doesn't matter. In the end, I decided to stay here.

Argentina and Colombia will meet in the Copa America final on July 15, 2024, in Miami. Messi was forced to leave the pitch abruptly with an ankle injury in the final. The Argentine forward has yet to return to competitive football.

Scaloni announced the Argentina qualifying squad without Messi-Di Maria on August 19. Valentin Castianos, Matias Sule – these two players are called up to Scaloni’s declared squad for the first time. Argentina will play their seventh match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile in Buenos Aires on September 5. They will play against Colombia on September 10.