Lionel Messi has been included in Argentina’s 28-man squad for a friendly against Benin on October 6, giving the captain the opportunity to make a final appearance for the national team less than two months after announcing his international retirement.
The match will take place at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires and is expected to serve as Messi’s official farewell in Argentina colours. The 39-year-old will not feature in Argentina’s earlier friendlies against Bolivia and Burkina Faso during the same international window.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named Messi in the squad on September 15, while Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia confirmed that the invitation was designed to give the veteran forward a farewell in front of the home supporters.
Messi enters the occasion as Argentina’s record goalscorer and most-capped player. He has scored 125 international goals in 207 appearances and led the country to major titles including the 2021 Copa América and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Benin fixture will conclude a three-match sequence for Argentina during the September-October international window.
The schedule is:
- September 30: Argentina vs Bolivia in Córdoba
- October 3: Argentina vs Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires
- October 6: Argentina vs Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires
While Messi is part of the overall squad, Argentina’s football authorities have indicated that his participation is reserved for the Benin encounter. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are also expected to be available for that final fixture.
The match will therefore mark a carefully arranged final chapter to Messi’s international career rather than a return to regular national-team competition.
Messi announced his decision to retire from Argentina duty on August 31, following the country’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
Argentina reached the World Cup final but lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time. Messi subsequently confirmed that he would step away from the national team after more than two decades representing the country.
His decision came after a career that included several major milestones:
- 207 Argentina appearances
- 125 international goals
- 2021 Copa América title
- 2022 FIFA World Cup title
- 2024 Copa América title
- 2008 Olympic gold medal
- 2022 Finalissima victory
Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005 as an 18-year-old and went on to become the central figure of one of the most successful periods in the country’s modern football history. FIFA records his 2026 World Cup campaign as another significant chapter, with eight goals and four assists during the tournament.
Scaloni’s latest selection contains established players alongside several younger or returning members of the national team.
The squad includes goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, defenders Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, midfielders Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul, as well as forwards Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez and Messi.
Several players also return after missing previous selections, while Román Vega receives his first senior Argentina call-up.
The 28-man group is:
Goalkeepers
- Emiliano Martínez
- Juan Musso
- Gerónimo Rulli
Defenders
- Agustín Giay
- Leonardo Balerdi
- Cristian Romero
- Lisandro Martínez
- Juan Foyth
- Facundo Medina
- Nicolás Tagliafico
- Román Vega
Midfielders
- Enzo Fernández
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Valentín Barco
- Giovani Lo Celso
- Exequiel Palacios
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Nicolás Paz
- Franco Mastantuono
- Matías Soulé
- Giuliano Simeone
- Nicolás González
Forwards
- Gianluca Prestianni
- José Manuel López
- Santiago Castro
- Julián Álvarez
- Lautaro Martínez
- Lionel Messi
The selection also reflects disciplinary absences. Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, for example, are unavailable because of suspensions arising from incidents connected to Argentina’s World Cup campaign.
The Argentine FA has also planned the Benin match as a broader celebration of Messi’s international career.
Tapia has invited members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to attend the occasion with their families. That group formed the core of the team that ended the country’s long wait for another men’s senior World Cup title in Qatar.
The choice of the Estadio Monumental adds another layer to the farewell. The Buenos Aires venue will provide the setting for Messi’s final appearance in the famous blue-and-white shirt before the national team moves into a new phase.
For Argentina, the Benin fixture will consequently serve two purposes: a friendly match and a formal transition from the Messi era.
Messi’s departure leaves Argentina without the player who has been at the centre of its attack and leadership structure for much of the past two decades.
Scaloni will now have to manage the transition while continuing to develop players such as Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono and other younger members of the squad.
For Messi, however, October 6 is set to be less about the next generation and more about closing his international career on home soil.
After 207 appearances, 125 goals and a collection of major international trophies, the Benin friendly is expected to provide Argentina’s captain with his final opportunity to wear the national shirt before the country’s supporters.
