Lionel Messi is set to make his final appearance for the Argentina national team on October 6, when the Albiceleste face Benin in a friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The match has been designated as Messi's farewell after the 39-year-old announced his retirement from international football in August. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) subsequently invited its captain to return for one final appearance in front of supporters at home, and Messi accepted the invitation.
AFA president Claudio Tapia confirmed that the fixture would be dedicated to Messi, describing the planned occasion as the farewell the Argentina captain deserves.
The decision means Messi will have the opportunity to end his Argentina career on home soil, surrounded by teammates and supporters at one of the country's most important football stadiums.
The Monumental, home of River Plate, has a capacity of around 85,000 spectators and has hosted numerous major Argentina fixtures over the years.
Messi's Final Argentina Match
Messi's appearance against Benin is expected to be his 208th and final match for Argentina.
According to FIFA, Messi has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances for the national team, making him both Argentina's most-capped player and its all-time leading scorer.
His international career began in 2005, when he made his senior Argentina debut as an 18-year-old. More than two decades later, his final appearance will bring an extraordinary international career to a close.
Messi's Argentina journey included periods of major disappointment before eventually producing some of the most significant achievements in the country's football history.
He helped Argentina reach the 2014 World Cup final, where they lost to Germany, before later leading the team to Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024.
The biggest achievement came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina defeated France in a dramatic final to win the country's first World Cup since 1986.
Messi was named the tournament's best player and finished the competition with seven goals and three assists.
That victory transformed the relationship between Messi and Argentina supporters after years in which his international career had been heavily scrutinised.
A Career That Finally Delivered Argentina's Biggest Prize
For much of Messi's international career, the Barcelona and later Paris Saint-Germain star faced constant comparisons between his achievements with his clubs and his results with Argentina.
He had already won numerous domestic titles and Champions League trophies at club level, while also collecting individual honours, including multiple Ballon d'Or awards.
International success, however, initially proved more difficult.
Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final and then suffered back-to-back Copa América final defeats in 2015 and 2016.
Those setbacks were followed by Messi temporarily stepping away from international football before returning to the national team.
The breakthrough eventually arrived at the 2021 Copa América, when Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final at the Maracanã.
That was Messi's first major senior international trophy with Argentina.
Three years later, Argentina successfully defended the Copa América title, defeating Colombia in the 2024 final.
Between those two Copa América triumphs came the achievement that had eluded Messi for most of his career: the World Cup.
Argentina's victory in Qatar cemented Messi's place at the centre of one of the most successful periods in the national team's history.
Messi Also Played at the 2026 World Cup
Messi did not immediately end his international career after winning the 2022 World Cup.
He continued playing for Argentina and was part of the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina reached the final of the tournament before losing 1-0 to Spain after extra time.
FIFA reports that Messi scored eight goals and provided four assists during the 2026 World Cup campaign.
The World Cup final ultimately became Messi's last competitive appearance for Argentina before his subsequent decision to retire from international football.
His decision was announced on August 31, with Messi saying that he had thought carefully about his future and that the decision was painful but that he understood the time had come.
The October 6 match therefore offers a different kind of ending.
Rather than his international career finishing with a major tournament defeat, Messi will now have an opportunity to formally say goodbye to Argentina supporters at home.
Argentina's Three-Match Friendly Schedule
The Benin match will be the final fixture in a three-game sequence arranged by Argentina during the international window.
Argentina will first face Bolivia on September 30 at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba.
The team will then return to Buenos Aires to play Burkina Faso on October 3 at the Estadio Monumental.
The third match will be against Benin on October 6 at the same stadium.
Messi is not expected to feature in the Bolivia or Burkina Faso matches. FIFA reported that his participation is specifically planned for the final friendly against Benin.
That arrangement gives Argentina supporters a specific occasion to celebrate the captain rather than treating the farewell as part of a broader series of matches.
Argentina Plans to Bring Back the 2022 World Cup Champions
The farewell will also be bigger than Messi's appearance alone.
Tapia said Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning players would be invited to attend the occasion with their families.
The move is intended to reunite members of the squad that delivered Argentina's third World Cup title and give them an opportunity to share Messi's farewell.
Many of those players were central figures during Messi's most successful period with the national team.
The 2022 squad included players such as Ángel Di María, Rodrigo De Paul, Emiliano Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister.
Messi's final Argentina appearance will therefore also serve as a celebration of the generation that helped end the country's long wait for another World Cup.
The Monumental Provides the Setting
The choice of the Estadio Monumental gives Messi's farewell a significant home setting.
The stadium is one of Argentina's most famous football venues and regularly hosts the national team.
With a capacity of approximately 85,000, it is also large enough to accommodate a major celebration around one of the most recognisable players in Argentine football history.
For supporters who have followed Messi's career since his international debut in 2005, the October 6 fixture will represent the closing chapter of a generation-defining era.
Messi Leaves an Historic International Record
By the time he walks onto the Monumental pitch against Benin, Messi will have spent more than 20 years representing Argentina at senior level.
His international record includes 125 goals, 207 appearances before the farewell match, a World Cup title and two Copa América championships.
His career with Argentina also includes Olympic gold in 2008 and success at youth level, although his senior career with the national team is what has ultimately defined his legacy with the Albiceleste.
The scale of his numbers means Argentina will face the difficult task of replacing not only its captain but also its record goalscorer and most-capped player.
However, the national team has already begun preparing for a future without him, with younger players increasingly being integrated into the squad.
One Final Night in the Blue and White
Messi's decision to retire from international football does not necessarily mark the end of his professional club career.
He remains an active player at club level, but his relationship with Argentina is now approaching its final chapter.
The October 6 friendly against Benin will give him one last opportunity to wear the famous blue-and-white shirt in front of Argentine supporters.
It will also allow fans to acknowledge the career that began with an 18-year-old Messi making his Argentina debut and ends with a player who has become the country's record goalscorer and most-capped international.
For Argentina, the night will be about more than a friendly match.
It will mark the formal farewell of the player who captained the country to its greatest achievement in modern international football and became the central figure of an era that produced the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup.
On October 6, Messi will walk onto the Monumental pitch for Argentina one final time.
The opponent will be Benin. The venue will be Buenos Aires. And the occasion will be the closing chapter of Lionel Messi's extraordinary international career.
