In just a few short months, Franco Mastantuono has become an increasingly important figure for both Real Madrid and the Argentina national team. At only 18 years old, the young winger could now find himself caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between the Spanish club and his country for one key reason.
Starting September 27, Chile will host the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup—a tournament featuring 24 of the top youth national teams from around the globe, made up of players under the age of 20. Argentina is among the participants, and the plan is for Mastantuono to be part of the squad.
However, Real Madrid may oppose his involvement—and they would have valid grounds to do so. The U-20 World Cup is not classified by FIFA as a mandatory release tournament like the senior World Cup, Copa America, or the European Championship. Therefore, clubs are not required to release players for it.
Despite this, Argentina still plan to push forward in hopes of securing Mastantuono’s release. According to Ole, representatives from the Argentine Football Association will travel to Europe in the coming days to meet with Real Madrid—as well as other clubs in similar situations—and attempt to reach an agreement.
Mastantuono wore Argentina’s No. 10 jersey during a qualifier vs Ecuador in September.
How many games would Mastantuono miss for Real Madrid if he plays the U-20 World Cup?
Unlike the senior World Cup—which will feature 48 teams next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada—the U-20 World Cup has a more compact format with only 24 teams, meaning the tournament runs on a shorter timeline.
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The opening match is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, and the final will be played on Sunday, October 19. One positive detail is that a portion of the tournament overlaps with the October international break, which means that players called up will miss fewer matches with their clubs.
Still, during that time frame, Real Madrid are set to play four matches across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Factoring in Argentina’s pre-tournament training and the travel time before and after the competition in Chile, Mastantuono could end up missing up to seven matches.
Argentina’s stars at the U-20 World Cup
Franco Mastantuono’s situation at Real Madrid is not the only concern facing Argentina’s U-20 team. Several other young stars could feature in this year’s tournament but may be held back by their European clubs.
Claudio Echeverri, recently loaned by Manchester City to Bayer Leverkusen, is one of the most important players on the squad and finds himself in the same uncertain position as Mastantuono. The same goes for Julio Soler, who plays in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
Among the names included in head coach Diego Placente’s preliminary list are several players with top-flight experience in Argentina: Boca Juniors’ Milton Delgado, River Plate’s Ian Subiabre, and Velez Sarsfield’s Maher Carrizo. Inter Miami’s new signing, Mateo Silvetti, is also part of the preliminary roster.
