Lionel Messi is preparing for his final Argentina appearance on October 6, 2026, against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. He’s already revealed the shirt he’ll wear, with his name and No. 10 in gold and a message about keeping it for life.
Messi announced his international retirement on August 31. Organizers are arranging the farewell to bring him back in front of a home crowd. They have also invited Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winners and their families to accompany him. It’s a goodbye built around the player, but with room for the people who won alongside him.
In the shirt-reveal video, Messi removes one jersey from the wall and replaces it with the farewell edition, showing the back. A white central stripe divides the sky-blue panels. His caption reads, in Spanish, “Último partido… Una camiseta para toda la vida,” or “Last match… A shirt for a lifetime.”
The Monumental has already hosted one of his goodbyes. In September 2025, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 win over Venezuela in his final home World Cup qualifier. That ended his qualifying appearances in Argentina, not his international career.
“For many years I had the affection of Barcelona fans and my dream was to have it here in my country too,” he said after that match. October’s friendly gives that relationship a final matchday, without qualification points or another tournament to chase.
The World Cup winners are invited back
AFA president Claudio Tapia has extended the invitation to the Qatar champions and their families. However, that doesn’t mean every former teammate will take the field. A reunion can include people a team sheet can’t, and attendance at the farewell is separate from selection for Argentina.
The match call-ups are more specific. Argentina has summoned Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso for the October 6 fixture. In addition, the selectors have included Nicolás Otamendi for that match. Argentina’s earlier friendlies against Bolivia on September 30 and Burkina Faso on October 3 aren’t part of Messi’s farewell assignment.
The 2022 squad’s invitation gives the occasion a collective reference point. You can count Messi’s Argentina career in his own goals and appearances, but a photograph of the world champions records something different: the teammates with whom he finally lifted that trophy.
The World Cup sits alongside the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles and the 2022 Finalissima in Messi’s senior Argentina record. By the time he decided to leave, winning with his country was no longer an unfinished ambition.
Messi enters the farewell with 207 senior appearances and 125 goals for Argentina. Playing against Benin would take him to 208 caps. His final goals tally could still change against Benin.
For supporters hoping to attend, AFA lists online ticket sales for the Monumental friendlies from September 24 at 6 p.m. Argentina time, exclusively through Deportick.
This isn’t Messi’s final match as a professional. His Inter Miami contract runs through 2028, leaving his club career separate from the farewell in Buenos Aires. There’ll still be football after October 6. It’s the Argentina shirt he’s putting away.
