[Argentina] Predicted Line-ups for Messi's Farewell Match vs Benin — Saying Goodbye to 207 Caps and 125 Goals at the Monumental

About six weeks after losing the 2026 World Cup final 1-0 to Spain after extra time, Lionel Messi announced on social media on 31 August that he was retiring from the Argentina national team. Three weeks later the Argentine Football Association (AFA) called him up for one last game. The venue is the Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate and of the national team, and the opponent is Benin. On 6 October, the number 10 he has worn since his debut in August 2005 will step onto the pitch in front of his home fans for the final time.

I have given everything. There is nothing left for me to give.

Lionel Messi (retirement post on social media, 31 August; translated from media reports)

Match Information — The Farewell Closes a Three-Game Window

Argentina face Bolivia in Córdoba on 30 September and Burkina Faso at the Monumental on 3 October before closing the window against Benin on 6 October. Of the 37 players named by Lionel Scaloni, Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso and Nicolás Otamendi join up for the Benin match only. Because of a FIFA sanction the Bolivia and Burkina Faso games are limited to 50% capacity, but the Benin match is scheduled to be played in front of a full house. Messi will wear a special shirt with his name and number 10 printed in gold.

Argentina's September/October friendlies (local dates)

Date	Opponent	Venue	Note
30 Sep (Wed)	Bolivia	Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes (Córdoba)	50% capacity
3 Oct (Sat)	Burkina Faso	Estadio Monumental (Buenos Aires)	50% capacity
6 Oct (Tue)	Benin	Estadio Monumental (Buenos Aires)	Messi's last match

Kick-off times had not been announced at the time of writing (22 September).

Messi's International Record — 207 Caps, 125 Goals, Four Major Titles

Messi made his senior debut against Hungary in Budapest on 17 August 2005 and was sent off within a minute of coming on — a bitter start. Twenty-one years later his 207 caps and 125 goals are both Argentina records, and the Benin game will be his 208th appearance. For years he was told he could not win with his country, and after losing the 2016 Copa América final he even announced his retirement once. After returning, he won his first major title at the 2021 Copa América, then the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Copa América.

Six World Cups — A Record 34 Appearances

From Germany 2006 at 18 to the 2026 tournament in North America at 39, Messi played at six consecutive World Cups. His 34 matches are a tournament record, as are his 12 assists. His 21 goals took him past Miroslav Klose (16), but Kylian Mbappé moved to 22 in 2026, leaving Messi second on the all-time list. He won the Golden Ball as the best player of both the 2014 and 2022 tournaments.

The 2026 World Cup at 39 — 8 Goals and 4 Assists on the Way to a Second Straight Final

Messi was the main character at his final World Cup too. He scored his first World Cup hat-trick in the Group J opener against Algeria, broke Klose's scoring record with two goals against Austria, and finished the group stage with six goals from three games. In the knockouts he scored against Cape Verde in a round-of-32 tie that went to extra time and against Egypt in a comeback from 0-2 in the round of 16, then set up goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes as Argentina came from behind to beat England in the semi-final. In the final at MetLife Stadium, however, Spain scored in the second half of extra time to win 1-0, and Argentina fell one step short of retaining the title.

Argentina's eight matches at the 2026 World Cup

Round	Opponent	Score	Messi
Group 1	Algeria	W 3-0	Hat-trick (his first at a World Cup)
Group 2	Austria	W 2-0	2 goals (18 in total, a World Cup record)
Group 3	Jordan	W 3-1	1 goal
Round of 32	Cape Verde	W 3-2 (aet)	1 goal
Round of 16	Egypt	W 3-2	1 goal (after a missed penalty)
Quarter-final	Switzerland	W 3-1	-
Semi-final	England	W 2-1	2 assists (85', 90+2')
Final	Spain	L 0-1 (aet)	-

The Stage: Estadio Monumental — South America's Largest Stadium and Home of the 1978 Final

The Estadio Monumental, River Plate's home in the Belgrano district of northern Buenos Aires, opened on 26 May 1938. A major renovation in the 2020s removed the athletics track and added seating, raising capacity to 85,018 — the largest in Argentina and in South America. In January 2026 a further expansion to around 101,000, with a roof over the stands, was announced.

It is a special place for the national team. The 1978 World Cup final was played here, with Mario Kempes scoring twice as Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time to become world champions for the first time. It has also hosted many Copa América and Copa Libertadores finals. Messi has history here too: at the Qatar 2022 celebration match against Panama in March 2023 he scored the 800th goal of his career with a free kick, and in September 2025 he scored twice against Venezuela in Argentina's last home World Cup qualifier. Now the Monumental will host the end of his international career.

Argentina's Predicted Formation — A 4-4-2 of Qatar Winners to See Messi Off

This is a match where Messi's send-off matters more than the result, so we expect Scaloni to field the generation that won in Qatar, including De Paul, Lo Celso and Otamendi, who were called up for this game alone. The system is the 4-4-2 used in the World Cup final. Emiliano Martínez starts in goal. The back four, from left, is Tagliafico, 38-year-old Otamendi and Cristian Romero, with Juan Foyth at right-back because Molina and Montiel were not called up. In midfield, Lo Celso plays on the left, Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández in the centre and De Paul, known as Messi's bodyguard, on the right. Julián Álvarez partners Messi up front. Expect Messi to be substituted late on so that a full Monumental can give him a standing ovation.

On the bench will be the next generation: Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono, Gianluca Prestianni, River Plate's 19-year-old Tobías Andrada and Boca Juniors' 19-year-old Leonel Flores. Who will wear the number 10 after Messi? That search starts after this match.

The Opponent: Benin, the Cheetahs — A First-Ever Meeting

Benin, from West Africa, are nicknamed Les Guépards (the Cheetahs). Ranked 93rd by FIFA (July 2026), they have never played Argentina before. The coach is Gernot Rohr of Germany, formerly in charge of Nigeria among others. Their best Africa Cup of Nations finish is the quarter-finals in 2019. The 25-man squad includes Beşiktaş's Junior Olaitan and Lorient's Aiyegun Tosin. We predict a 4-2-3-1, and the question is whether the pace of Olaitan and Tosin can spoil Messi's farewell.

Summary — Ninety Minutes With the Last Number 10

He won the world in Qatar and, at 39, scored eight goals to take Argentina to another World Cup final. The last 90 minutes of 21 years that numbers cannot fully describe will be played in South America's biggest stadium, in front of a full house. It will be a match beyond the result, but as long as he is on the pitch, Messi will surely keep looking for a goal until the very end.

Note: predicted formations are Fomelabo's own. Clubs and statistics are as of 22 September 2026. Messi's international and World Cup figures are based on media reports and may differ slightly between sources. Kick-off time had not been announced.