FIFA World Cup 2026: Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone Continue Fathers’ Historic Legacy for Argentina

Big news coming from the Argentina camp! Head coach Lionel Scaloni has announced his squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. The list includes two very special names: Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone. What's the big deal? Well, their fathers also played for Argentina in a World Cup, and now the sons are ready to carry on the legacy.

Argentina National Football Team: Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone have just done something incredible. They've made it to Argentina's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, creating a bit of history in the process. This is the first time in the 96-year World Cup history of the Argentinian team that sons of former World Cup players have been selected.

What makes this so special is that their fathers were teammates for Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. We're talking about Giuliano's dad, the legendary coach Diego Simeone, and Nico's father, Pablo Paz. Now, their sons are all set to play for the same national team in the World Cup journey.

Interestingly, there's another thing they have in common. Both these young players were born outside Argentina. Nico was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, while Giuliano was born in Rome, Italy. But despite being born abroad, they've earned the chance to wear the famous blue and white jersey.

New History in Argentinian Football

While Argentina has had father-son duos play for the national team before, no son of a former World Cup player had ever made it to a World Cup squad until now.

Pablo Paz, Nico's father, had a relatively modest career as a footballer. The former centre-back played only 14 matches for the national team. He played his club football in Argentina and Spain, but not for any top-tier clubs, though he played professionally for about two decades.

In contrast, Diego Simeone's career was much more decorated. The former midfielder played for the national team from 1988 to 2002, earning 108 caps. He played for famous clubs like Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Lazio, and Racing Club. He has also found great success as a coach, managing Atlético Madrid since 2011 and leading them to major trophies.

Father's Teammate is Now Assistant Coach

Here's another cool connection. Roberto Ayala, who played alongside Pablo Paz in the 1998 Argentina national team, is now the assistant coach. He is currently mentoring his former teammate's son.