Lionel Messi will pull on the Albiceleste shirt one final time on home soil, stepping out for a dedicated international farewell match against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on October 6, 2026, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed Tuesday.
The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward confirmed his retirement from international football last month, but national team officials moved swiftly to arrange an official send-off in the nation's capital, as reported by The Athletic.
AFA President Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia finalized the arrangements following consultations with manager Lionel Scaloni, ensuring the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner takes the pitch before an expected crowd of over 85,000 supporters.
"We invited the best player in the world to play, our captain Lionel Andrés Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October 6, here in Argentina," Tapia stated in an official announcement shared across social media.
Scaloni included Messi in his 28-man squad for the upcoming international window, which also features tune-up fixtures against Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3. Messi's participation is focused on the October 6 tribute match against Benin, where members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup–winning roster and their families will gather to celebrate his career.
The exhibition match brings a formal conclusion to Messi's 21-year tenure with the senior national team, a historic run that delivered the 2021 and 2024 Copa América championships and Argentina's third World Cup title in Qatar.
