One Last Night at the Monumental: Messi’s Argentina Farewell vs. Benin With Serie A Stars In Attendance

Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin on October 6, 2026, at River Plate's Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The farewell appearance marks Messi's 208th cap for the national team following his decision to retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup final defeat to Spain. All 85,018 allocated tickets for the match sold out in under two hours.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named a 28-man squad for the fixture, which is one of three October friendlies alongside matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso. Messi will wear a custom Adidas jersey featuring gold detailing and the Sun of May for his final international game before returning to club duties with Inter Miami.