Lionel Messi will make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin in Buenos Aires on 6 October, with the country’s football association confirming plans for a farewell to its captain and record-setting icon.
The match will give Messi an opportunity to say goodbye to Argentina supporters on home soil after his decision to retire from international football.
The 2022 World Cup-winning squad has also been invited to attend the occasion, with the Argentina Football Association (AFA) saying the players who lifted the trophy in Qatar will join Messi, alongside their families.
Messi’s final appearance for La Albiceleste had been expected to come at the 2026 Fifa World Cup final, after he had confirmed his international retirement on 31 August.
However, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has included the 39-year-old in a preliminary 26-man squad for the friendly against Benin, giving the forward one more opportunity to wear the national shirt.
The AFA said: “We would like to announce that, following a discussion with national team coach, Lionel Scaloni, we have decided to invite the world’s best player, the icon of our national team, our captain Lionel Messi, so that he can receive the send-off he truly deserves on 6 October here in Argentina.”
The association added: “Furthermore, having received Lionel’s acceptance, we are inviting all the world champions who played alongside him at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to join him, together with their families, for what will be an unforgettable match for all Argentinians who support the national team, as they watch the world’s best player’s last dance,”
The farewell fixture will also bring Messi up against an African opponent, with Benin travelling to Argentina for the occasion.
Benin, described in the article as an African nation ranked 93rd in the Fifa men’s world rankings, will be the final opponent of Argentina’s three-match home friendly schedule.
Argentina’s first fixture after the World Cup is against Bolivia in Cordoba on 30 September.
They will then face another African side, Burkina Faso, at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on 3 October.
The match against Benin three days later will complete the sequence of fixtures and provide the setting for Messi’s planned farewell.
Messi played a major role in Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final in North America but was unable to have the same influence in the decisive match, which Spain won.
That meant his World Cup appearance did not provide the conclusion he would have wanted to his Argentina career.
The planned farewell against Benin will instead allow Messi to make his final appearance in front of supporters in Argentina.
Argentina must also deal with a Fifa punishment affecting their home fixtures.
The punishment requires the South American champions to play their next two home matches at 50% capacity, although one match of the sanction has been suspended.
