Messi set for Argentina farewell match against Benin

Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina’s squad for a friendly against Benin in October, with the match set to mark his farewell to international football.

Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty in August following the country’s 2026 World Cup final defeat by Spain.

The 39-year-old had also been considering his future in football following the death of his father, Jorge.

Messi, who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, said ending his international career hurt him “deeply” but that he had “given it my all” and had “nothing left to give”.

Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia said the team had invited Messi so he could receive the farewell he deserves.

“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on 6 October here in Argentina,” Tapia said.

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The match will be played at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, which has a capacity of about 85,000.

Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad has also been invited to the occasion, which Tapia described as an “unforgettable” event.

Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances. He currently plays for Inter Miami and has won the Ballon d’Or eight times.

Argentina are scheduled to face Bolivia in Cordoba on 30 September and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on 3 October before the Benin fixture.

The Argentina-Benin match is expected to take place after the team completes a FIFA disciplinary sanction that required two home matches to be played at 50% capacity. One of those matches was suspended.

The sanction followed breaches of FIFA’s disciplinary code relating to demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct and discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters.

Midfielders Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina are also expected to miss the Benin match because of suspensions imposed following clashes after Argentina’s defeat by Spain in the World Cup final.

Paredes received a 10-match suspension, while Molina was handed a seven-match ban.

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