Lionel Messi named in Argentina squad for farewell match after international retirement

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The Independent

·15 September 2026

Lionel Messi named in Argentina squad for farewell match after international retirement

Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina‘s squad ahead of a farewell match to mark his international retirement.

Messi, 39, announced two months after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain that he would be ending his glittering international career with immediate effect.

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However, Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia confirmed on Tuesday that Messi would face Benin on October 6.

The farewell match will be held at the The Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, after Argentina had played matches against Bolivia and Burkina Faso.

“We invited ‌the best ‌player in the world to ⁠play, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell on October ‌6, here in Argentina," ‌Tapia said ⁠on social ⁠media.