Lionel Messi included in Argentina's squad for farewell: Details here
What's the story
Lionel Messi, the world-renowned footballer, will get one last chance to don the Argentina jersey in front of his home crowd. Despite announcing his retirement from international football, Messi's name has been included in coach Lionel Scaloni's preliminary squad for upcoming friendlies. Argentina officially released their squad, with Messi included in the contingent for the upcoming friendlies. Here are further details.
Farewell
Messi's farewell match against Benin
As per Fabrizio Romano, Messi will have a farewell with Argentina on October 6.
Messi will be able to say goodbye at Argentina's friendly against Benin at the Monumental, Buenos Aires.
The development comes after months of uncertainty over his future with the national team until the 2028 Copa America.
However, he recently confirmed that his international career was coming to an end, putting those doubts to rest.
Match schedule
Argentina's schedule for upcoming international break
The AFA has confirmed three friendlies for the upcoming international window.
The first match will be against Bolivia on September 30 at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Cordoba.
Lionel Scaloni's team will then return to Buenos Aires for two more matches at River Plate Stadium: one against Burkina Faso on October 3 and another against Benin on October 6.
Messi
Messi announced his retirement from international football
On August 31, Messi announced his retirement from international football.
He said it was a decision that "hurt" but "the time has come".
The 39-year-old, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, owns the most goals and appearances for his side in history.
In a statement, Messi said he gave everything to the national side but now has "nothing left to give".
Numbers
Breaking down Messi's numbers for Argentina
Messi played 207 matches for Argentina and managed a total of 125 goals and 65 assists.
In 34 FIFA World Cup appearances, Messi went on to clock 21 goals and 12 assists.
Messi scored 54 goals in 61 friendly appearances for Argentina.
In 72 FIFA World Cup qualification games, he managed 36 goals.
In 39 Copa America games, he scored 14 goals. He also played one Finalissima game.
Do you know?
Messi scored 11 hat-tricks for Argentina
Messi scored 11 hat-tricks for Argentina. His first hat-trick for Argentina was against Switzerland in 2012 as Argentina won 3-1. Messi managed 2 hat-tricks against Bolivia in 2021 and 2024. His last hat-trick was against Algeria in 2026.
Information
4 major honors won with Argentina
Messi managed to win 4 major honors with the national team. He won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and Copa América in 2021 and 2024. He also bagged the Finalissima in 2022.
Twitter Post
Official!
🚨🇦🇷 OFFICIAL: Lionel Messi will have a FAREWELL with the Argentina National Team on October 6.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 15, 2026
He’s gonna say goodbye at Argentina’s friendly against Benin at the Monumental, Buenos Aires. pic.twitter.com/uVxo8PuuYP