With his brilliant performance for Argentina, Messi has been included in the best squad in the South American region for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, this is the strongest confirmation of the question of who will win the Golden Ball. 2023.

The South American Football Confederation Conmebo has just announced the best squad, including outstanding names in matches 3 and 4 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. For the second time in a row, Argentine football icon Lionel Lionel Messi makes this list. He had a top performance, scoring two goals in a recent win over Peru.

These goals helped Argentina maintain its unbeaten record in the qualifying round, ranking No. 1 on the rankings with an absolute score of 12 points and not conceding a single goal.

Lionel Messi currently also shares the top scorer title with Uruguay’s Nicolas De La Cruz. Each has scored three goals so far. Messi also holds another special record when he is the top scorer of all time in the South American World Cup qualifiers, with a total of 31 goals. Therefore, participating in the best team cannot lack the name Messi. This is considered a strong affirmation for the number 1 candidate for the 2023 Golden Ball.

The all-star lineup above is not just a random selection, it is based on each player’s performance in the match. Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Romo leads the squad. The rest consists of other notable players spread across the lines.

Latest 2026 World Cup qualifying squad (Source: Internet)
In defense Nahitan Nandez of Uruguay and Wilker Angel from Venezuela make the list. Piero Hincapie from Ecuador and Nicolas Tagliafico from Argentina were also present.

Talents like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, James Rodriguez, Yeferson Soteldo are the pieces that make up the midfield. At the top of the striker line, Messi will work side by side with Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez. With high performance, this duo has the ability to penetrate any defense. The 2026 World Cup qualifiers for South America will take a break before returning in mid-November.