Lionel Messi to Play Final Argentina Match Oct. 6
Messi will bid farewell to the Argentina national team on Oct. 6 against Benin in Buenos Aires, capping a three-match international break under Lionel Scaloni.
Lionel Messi will play his last-ever match for Argentina on Oct. 6, a friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Argentinian FA president Claudio Tapia confirmed the date on Social media, saying "We invited the best player in the world to play, the icon of our team, our captain Lionel Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October 6, here in Argentina."
The Benin fixture caps an international break with three matches under Lionel Scaloni. Argentina face Bolivia in Cordoba on Sept. 30, then Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on Oct. 3, before the send-off three days later. The Bolivia game will be played with capacity cut by half at the Mario Kempes Stadium, part of a FIFA sanction over a post-match altercation involving Argentina players at the 2026 World Cup.
Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso have also been named for the Oct. 6 match, according to the federation's statement, which added that players called up from the domestic league would be announced on Friday. Lo Celso has one goal since returning to the national set-up in June.
Before any of that, Messi is due on the pitch on Wednesday for Inter Miami's Campeones Cup final against Cruz Azul at Miami's Nu Stadium. He has scored 17 goals in Major League Soccer this season, with Luis Suárez on 12 and Germán Berterame on 7 for a Miami side sitting second on 45 points from 25 matches.
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