Lionel Messi has been included in Argentina’s squad for an October friendly against Benin, with the match expected to serve as the final international appearance of his extraordinary career.
The 39-year-old announced in August that he was retiring from national-team football following Argentina’s defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. His decision also came during a difficult personal period after the death of his father, Jorge, which had led Messi to reconsider his wider future in the sport.
Messi leaves international football as the most successful and statistically dominant player in Argentina’s history. The Inter Miami forward has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances, making him both the country’s record goalscorer and its most-capped player.
He also captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, adding the biggest international trophy of his career after earlier successes with the Copa America and other national-team honours.
The Argentine Football Association has now arranged a special appearance for Messi on 6 October, when Argentina face Benin at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The 85,000-capacity stadium is expected to host a major farewell ceremony, with members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad also invited to attend. The event is being planned as a celebration of Messi’s international career and his long-standing role as captain and symbol of the national side.
The match should also take place after Argentina complete a stadium-capacity punishment imposed by Fifa following disciplinary breaches at the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina were ordered to play two home fixtures at 50% capacity, although one match of the sanction was suspended. The punishment covered several incidents, including non-sporting demonstrations, team misconduct and discriminatory behaviour involving supporters.
One of the incidents occurred after Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England, when several players displayed a banner asserting Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory.
Argentina are scheduled to play Bolivia in Cordoba on 30 September before meeting Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on 3 October. Those fixtures are expected to satisfy the active part of the stadium sanction before Messi’s farewell against Benin.
However, two members of the squad are unlikely to take part in the October programme. Midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Nahuel Molina received suspensions of 10 and seven matches respectively following clashes after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain.
For Messi, the Benin friendly is set to provide one final appearance in Argentina colours and a formal conclusion to an international career spanning more than two decades.