Lionel Messi’s final international appearance for Argentina has been scheduled, with the captain set to play his farewell match against Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on 6 October.
The match will begin at 8pm local time, meaning supporters in Bangladesh will be able to watch Messi’s final appearance for the national team at 5am on 7 October. The fixture has been designated as Messi’s farewell match as part of Argentina’s schedule for the international break.
Messi is expected to join Argentina’s national team camp within the next few days before preparing for the meeting with Benin. Once he takes the field at the Monumental, the match will mark the end of an extraordinary chapter in his career with the Albiceleste.
The Argentine Football Association has finalised the schedule for three friendly matches during the international break. Among those fixtures, the encounter with Benin has been selected as the occasion for Messi’s final international appearance.
For Argentina, the match carries significance beyond the result of a friendly. Messi has spent more than two decades representing the national side and has become one of the defining figures in the country’s football history. His international career has included periods of disappointment as well as some of the greatest achievements ever recorded by an Argentine player.
The most significant moment came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Messi led Argentina to the world title. The triumph completed a major chapter in his international career and followed Argentina’s Copa América success. Those achievements transformed the narrative surrounding Messi’s time with the national team after years in which he had faced intense expectations to deliver a major international trophy.
His departure will therefore bring an emotional end to an era for Argentina. For years, Messi has been at the centre of the team’s attacking play and has carried the expectations of supporters at major international tournaments. His final appearance will offer fans at the Monumental an opportunity to see the celebrated captain in an Argentina shirt for one last time.
The choice of the Monumental Stadium also gives the occasion added significance. Located in Buenos Aires, the venue is one of the country’s most prominent football grounds and regularly hosts Argentina’s home fixtures.
With the match against Benin now confirmed, the details are clear: Argentina will face Benin on 6 October at the Monumental, with kick-off at 8pm local time. In Bangladesh, the match will start at 5am on 7 October.
Whatever the final score, the fixture is set to be remembered as the closing match of Messi’s international career. For Argentine supporters and millions of admirers around the world, it will be a rare opportunity to witness the final moments of one of football’s most remarkable international journeys.
