Lionel Messi is set to draw the curtain on his Argentina career on October 6 when the national team faces Benin in a farewell friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia confirmed the planned farewell after Messi was included in the squad for the match, which is expected to be his 208th and final appearance for the national side.
The 39-year-old announced his international retirement in August, ending a two-decade career with Argentina that brought him the 2022 World Cup and Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
“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 October 6 here in Argentina,” said the country’s FA president Claudio Tapia.
The Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate, can hold 85,000 spectators and will host the occasion as Argentina prepares to honour its longtime captain.
Tapia has also invited the players who were part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to join Messi for the farewell, which he said would be an “unforgettable” occasion.
Before the Benin game, Argentina will face Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3. The three friendlies come after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final defeat to Spain.
Messi currently holds Argentina’s records for appearances and goals, with 207 games and 125 goals. The Benin fixture is expected to take his appearance tally to 208.
The forward’s decision to leave international football came after a long career that saw him help Argentina end its wait for the World Cup title in 2022, as well as win Copa America in 2021 and 2024.
Messi had also expressed uncertainty about his future in football after the death of his father, Jorge, last month, saying he had “serious doubts” about continuing to play for “much longer”.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul but I understand that it is the right time,” Messi said when he called time on his Argentina career.
Despite ending his international career, Messi remains contracted to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami until the end of the 2028 season.
The upcoming Argentina friendlies will also have a disciplinary role, with the team expected to serve suspensions handed down after incidents linked to the World Cup final against Spain.
FIFA last month ordered Argentina to reduce the capacity for its next home match to 50 percent after finding the team had breached its disciplinary code over the use of a sporting event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.
The case followed Argentina’s 2-1 semifinal victory over England in July, during which several players held up a banner that read: “The Falklands are Argentine”.
Argentina also received player suspensions following the World Cup final. Leandro Paredes was handed a 10-match ban, while Nahuel Molina received a seven-match suspension and Thiago Almada was banned for one game.