Argentina names World Championship squad: Alfonso and Arce in, Sanyo out

Eight names to defend the crown in Doha

Argentina has named its eight-man squad for the 2026 FIP World Padel Championships, and the timing could hardly have been better for two of the chosen players. On the same Wednesday the list was published, Valentino Libaak and Gonzalo Alfonso were on court in Düsseldorf knocking out Javier Leal and Francisco Guerrero 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 in the round of 32 of the CUPRA Germany P2.

Coaches Gabriel Reca and Rodrigo Ovide have selected Agustin Tapia, Federico Chingotto, Franco Stupaczuk, Martin Di Nenno, Leandro Augsburger, Valentino Libaak, Gonzalo Alfonso and Maximiliano Arce. The tournament takes place in Doha, Qatar, from November 2 to 7 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, where Argentina will be defending the men's title it won in 2024.

Tapia, the world No. 1 alongside Arturo Coello on the Premier Padel tour, heads a group built around the country's established top players. Chingotto, Stupaczuk, Di Nenno and Augsburger give the team depth, while Libaak returns to defend the title he helped win two years ago.

Alfonso and Arce debut, Sanyo and Chozas out

The two newcomers are Alfonso and Arce, both called up to the senior World Championships for the first time. Alfonso earns his place on the back of a strong run with Libaak, his regular partner on the circuit. Arce, the left-hander from Salta, completes the eight.

The bigger talking point is who is missing. Carlos Daniel Gutierrez, better known as Sanyo, and Alex Chozas were both part of the team that lifted the trophy in 2024, but neither made the cut this time. According to Padel Addict, Gutierrez, now 42, had already acknowledged after the 2024 victory that he did not see himself playing another international event for his country. Juan Tello was also left out despite his ranking, a decision Argentine media singled out as one of the surprises of the list.

Argentina has also confirmed its women's squad, led by world No. 1 Delfina Brea. She will be joined by Claudia Jensen, Aranzazu Osoro, Martina Fassio, María Laura Ferreyra, Virginia Riera, Julieta Bidahorria and 16-year-old Victoria Vílchez, who makes her debut. The women will be trying to win back the title currently held by Spain.

Second straight win over Leal and Guerrero

Libaak and Alfonso marked their call-ups in the best possible way. Their three-set win over Leal and Guerrero in Düsseldorf was their second victory in a row against the same pair, after they had also knocked them out a week earlier at the Rotterdam P2. They lost the first set 3-6, then took the second in a tie-break and closed out the decider 7-5.

Coello and Tapia Win Milano P1 Championship

For Leal and Guerrero, the defeat comes at an awkward moment in the season. Leal sits 16th in the 2026 Race, the last spot that qualifies for the Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona, with a 546-point cushion over 17th-placed Tello.

Other men's results from Wednesday's round of 32 included wins for Inigo Jofre and Juanlu Esbri over Enrique Goenaga and Guillermo Collado (4-6, 6-3, 7-6), and for Clément Geens and Nacho Moragues over Javier Barahona and Ignacio Piotto (6-3, 6-4).

What's next in Düsseldorf

Thursday's round of 16 brings an awkward coincidence for the selectors. On Court 2, Arce plays alongside the omitted Tello against Geens and Moragues, and straight after them Libaak and Alfonso face José Solano and Ramiro Pereyra for a place in the quarter-finals. On the centre court, Tapia and Coello open their campaign against José Antonio Diestro and Marc Sintes, while defending champions Galán and Chingotto play Javier Garrido and Juani De Pascual in a match scheduled for no earlier than 18:00 Spanish time.