All About Lionel Messi’s Final Argentina Match: Opponent, Squad News, Venue, Time & Broadcast

The curtains will finally fall on Lionel Messi‘s glorious career, and there’s a tinge of sadness in every fan’s heart who grew up watching the little maestro create magic week after week for Barcelona.

While a win in the 2026 World Cup final would have probably been the perfect send-off for the 39-year-old, who has spent two decades playing in Argentina’s white and blue jersey, perhaps the planned farewell match will actually represent the love and admiration fans have for him.

Lionel Messi’s final match with Argentina will be against Benin at the Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires.

After a legendary 21-year career that culminated in the 2022 World Cup triumph and consecutive Copa America titles, the 39-year-old announced his international retirement following Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final, where they ultimately lost to Spain.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. local time in Argentina at River Plate’s iconic stadium, which translates to 7:00 p.m. EDT / 4:00 PM PT. The fixture is also the most heavily attended sporting event of the year, officially surpassing the 2026 Super Bowl in crowd size.

Manager Lionel Scaloni has called up a 35-man roster for the game, while also ensuring that the old guard is honored, including Nicolas Otamendi and Rodrigo De Paul, who many believe will also be playing their final games for the national team.

While Messi’s teammates Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina were not allowed by Roma to be part of the match, AS Roma confirmed that the duo will not travel to Argentina or attend the match.

Also playing today will be other veterans such as Emiliano Martínez, Lautaro Martínez, and Enzo Fernández, among others.

There is no English-language TV or streaming network, such as FOX, ESPN, NBC, or CBS, broadcasting the match in the United States but fans can still catch the action exclusively in Spanish via the streaming service ViX, which is also available as an add-on channel through Amazon Prime Video.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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