Lionel Messi will say farewell to Argentina against Benin on October 6

The Albiceleste captain will play his last match in front of the Argentine public at the Monumental

World Today at 18:37

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Lionel Messi will say farewell to Argentina against Benin on October 6

06.10.26 16:00 Friendly International

Argentina

Benin

On October 6, Lionel Messi will play his last match with the Argentina national team in front of his home crowd. The Albiceleste captain will be at the Monumental for the friendly against Benin, an evening designed to give him the chance to bid farewell to Argentine supporters one last time.

Lionel Messi has given the AFA his approval to take part in the match and receive the tribute planned at the Monumental. Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, confirmed that the event would be held, while the player had already announced his international retirement.

The match against Benin will therefore hold special significance for the number 10. Since making his debut for Argentina in 2005, Messi has spent more than two decades with the national team and won the major trophies that had been missing from his international honours list: the Copa América in 2021, the Finalissima in 2022, and then the World Cup in Qatar that same year. He also won the 2024 Copa América.

The 2022 world champions reunited

The AFA wants to involve the players who won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the evening. All members of that team have been invited, along with their families, to attend the tribute to Messi at the Monumental.

The occasion will also recall the previous farewells organised for the senior players of this generation. In September 2024, Ángel Di María notably said goodbye to the Argentine public at the same venue.

✅ ¡LEO MESSI SE DESPIDE DE LA SELECCIÓN EN EL MONUMENTAL!

🇦🇷 Claudio Tapia, presidente de la AFA, confirmó que el GOAT jugará el duelo del 6 de octubre ante Benín y contará con la presencia de todos los campeones del mundo en Qatar 2022.

😎 ¡El 10 dirá adiós ante todo un país! pic.twitter.com/VnnciFQgYT
— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) September 15, 2026

On October 6, Messi will therefore return to the Monumental for one final appearance with the Albiceleste. Against Benin, he will have the opportunity to close out in front of Argentine supporters one of the national team’s longest and most significant individual stories.