Lionel Messi has been included in Argentina’s squad for a friendly against Benin in October, with the match expected to mark the end of his international career.
The 39-year-old announced in August that he would step away from international football following Argentina’s defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. His decision also came after the death of his father, Jorge, which had prompted him to reflect on his future in the game.
Messi, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, said the decision to leave the national team had affected him deeply. However, he also insisted that he had given everything he could to the national side and had nothing left to offer.
The Inter Miami forward is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances. He has also won the Ballon d’Or eight times.
Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia confirmed that Messi had been invited to take part in what is expected to be an emotional farewell.
“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.
The match against Benin will be played at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, which can accommodate around 85,000 spectators.
Members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad have also been invited, with Tapia describing the occasion as one that will be unforgettable.
Argentina will play Bolivia in Cordoba on 30 September and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on 3 October before facing Benin. Those matches are expected to allow the team to complete a FIFA sanction that had limited the capacity for two of its home fixtures.
The punishment followed breaches of FIFA’s disciplinary code during the World Cup, including demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct and discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters.
The disciplinary action also followed an incident after Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England, when several players held up a banner asserting Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory.
With the Bolivia and Burkina Faso friendlies taking place before the Benin game, Argentina are expected to have served the relevant sanction by the time Messi takes the field for his farewell.
Midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Nahuel Molina are not expected to feature against Benin, having received 10-match and seven-match suspensions respectively for their involvement in clashes following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain.
For Messi, the October fixture is set to provide a final opportunity to wear the Argentina shirt in front of his home supporters, bringing an international career that includes World Cup and Copa America success to a close.
