Lionel Messi is set to make a farewell appearance for Argentina against Benin on October 6 at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced his inclusion on Tuesday, September 15, and EFE reported that the friendly will mark his goodbye to the national team.
The 39-year-old forward had already announced his international retirement, FIFA reported. The planned appearance will give supporters in Argentina a chance to see the 2022 World Cup winner with the national side again. The announcement presents the match as a farewell rather than a resumption of his regular international career.
According to EFE, AFA president Claudio Tapia said the members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families would also be invited. The plan brings Messi’s send-off together with a tribute involving his championship teammates. An invitation does not confirm that every former teammate will attend or play.
The federation’s schedule lists three home friendlies: Bolivia on September 30 at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba, followed by Burkina Faso on October 3 and Benin on October 6. Both October games will take place at River Plate’s stadium in Buenos Aires, making the farewell the final fixture in this sequence.
In its squad notice, the AFA specified that Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso will join for the final friendly on October 6. Their inclusion therefore does not mean they are available for all three matches. The federation said the players called up from domestic clubs will be announced on Friday.
EFE reported that coach Lionel Scaloni’s selection includes 20 players from Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad, among them Cristian Romero, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez. Younger additions include Agustín Giay and Matías Soulé. Argentina’s next scheduled match is against Bolivia, before attention turns to the two Buenos Aires fixtures and Messi’s farewell.
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