Lionel Messi to Play Final Argentina Match Against Benin

Lionel Messi will play his last match for Argentina on October 6, when the national team faces Benin in a friendly at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental, the Argentine Football Association confirmed.

The 39-year-old announced his international retirement back in August, not long after Argentina lost to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. He had also been weighing up his future in the sport following the death of his father, Jorge.

Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia said the send-off was well deserved. "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.

Messi is Argentina's top scorer and most-capped player of all time, with 125 goals in 207 games for the national side. He led the team to World Cup glory in 2022 and has picked up eight Ballon d'Or awards over his career. He now plays his club football for Inter Miami in the US.

When he stepped away from the national team, Messi admitted the choice wasn't easy. He said walking away "hurt deeply," but added that he had "given it my all" and had "nothing left to give."

Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad have also been asked to attend the game, which Tapia called an occasion that will be "unforgettable." The Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate, holds around 85,000 fans.

The match comes not long after Argentina were hit with a Fifa sanction requiring them to play two home games at half capacity, though one of those matches had the punishment suspended. The ruling followed incidents during the World Cup, including a banner some Argentina players held up after beating England in the semi-final, which claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Fifa also cited discriminatory chants and gestures from fans as part of the case.

Before facing Benin, Argentina will play Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3, meaning the capacity restrictions should be out of the way by the time of Messi's farewell.

Two Argentina players won't be part of the send-off, though. Midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Nahuel Molina are both serving lengthy bans, ten games and seven games respectively, for their involvement in a scuffle that broke out after the World Cup final loss to Spain.