Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina on Tuesday 6 October 2026, and it ended the way the night demanded: a 3–0 win over Benin at the Estadio Monumental, one goal and two assists from the captain, and a stadium that spent most of the evening on its feet. It was his 208th cap and, at 39, the end of a 21-year international career — the most appearances, the most goals and the most assists anyone has ever recorded in an Argentina shirt.
Direct answer
- Argentina 3–0 Benin, international friendly, Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Tuesday 6 October 2026.
- Messi: one goal — a penalty — and two assists, in his 208th and final Argentina appearance.
- The goals: Nicolás Otamendi from a Messi corner, Nico Paz from a Messi pass, then Messi from the spot.
- Also retiring: Otamendi, who shared 17 years and four World Cups with him.
- What he leaves: 208 caps, 126 goals, 68 assists — all three Argentina records — and four major titles.
What happened at the Monumental
The football was almost the small part of it. The ground was full more than two hours before kick-off, a giant No 10 shirt was laid out across the pitch, and when the clock passed the 10th minute both teams stopped playing so that 85,000 people could applaud the man who has worn that number for 21 years. Fireworks went up behind the stands; the Benin players walked over to him one by one.
Then Argentina did what Argentina have done for most of the last five years. A goalless first half turned into three goals in twenty minutes after the break, all of them involving Messi: the corner that Nicolás Otamendi turned in, the pass that Nico Paz curled home from the edge of the box, and the penalty he took himself on 68 minutes — his 126th goal for his country, and the last one.
At the final whistle his team-mates, the Benin players and the referee all queued up to embrace him. He walked off with the match ball and, as a keepsake, the referee’s cards. Above the stadium a drone show started, and the stands sang his name for another twenty minutes.
“I love all of you, and I will miss all of you. I am proud to be Argentine.”
Lionel Messi, after the final whistle
Minute by minute
| Minute | What happened |
|---|---|
| 7′ | Messi’s first sight of goal: a shot from outside the box is pushed away by the Benin goalkeeper. |
| 10′ | The stadium stops. Both teams pause play, the crowd stands for the captain, fireworks go up behind the stands and the Benin players walk over to embrace him. |
| 26′ | A free kick from the left edge of the area is beaten out. |
| 33′ | Lautaro Martínez slides him in behind; the first-time finish goes wide. |
| 44′ | Julián Álvarez breaks clear and drags his shot past the post. Goalless at the break. |
| 48′ | 1–0. Messi’s corner from the left is met by Nicolás Otamendi, who finishes first time. |
| 60′ | A free kick from the edge of the box is kept out. |
| 61′ | 2–0. Messi finds Nico Paz outside the area; the substitute curls it into the far corner. |
| 68′ | 3–0. Giay is brought down in the box and Messi scores the penalty — his 126th goal for Argentina, and his last. |
| 82′ | A chance in front of an open goal goes over the bar. |
| Full time | Team-mates, opponents and the referee queue up to embrace him. The referee hands over his cards as a keepsake, Messi takes the match ball, and the drone show starts above the stands. |
Minute marks follow the match clock on the summary published by the Argentine FA after the game. Some reports time the opening goal at 47 minutes and the penalty at 71.
The farewell, before kick-off
The ceremony started long before the teams came out. 85,000 tickets sold out in about 90 minutes, and the resale market ran at close to six times face value for a friendly against a side ranked outside the world’s top fifty. The team bus left the training ground and found thousands of people lining the route; Messi spent most of the journey wiping his eyes.
In Rosario, his home town, a giant No 10 shirt roughly 30 metres long was unfurled at the National Flag Memorial with the word “Gracias” across the back, and the landmarks of Buenos Aires were lit in sky blue and white for the night. The Argentine FA branded the whole day “Gracias, Leo”, and the performance outside the ground ran from the middle of the afternoon until well past midnight.
He also collected an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires a few hours earlier, and the families of the 2022 World Cup squad were guests of honour, sitting alongside World Cup winners from 1978 and 1986. When the anthem started, both Messi and Lionel Scaloni were in tears.
The shirt he wore one last time
For the occasion the national team stepped out of its usual run of narrow stripes and into the layout of the flag: one wide white band down the centre of a sky blue body, the Sun of May drawn large across the torso in tonal line work, the crest and the number finished in gold, and the name and number in gold on the back. The mark that normally sits on the right chest was replaced by Messi’s own signature.
It is a one-match design rather than a new home kit, and it is listed in three print states: with the gold Messi 10 across the back, with a name of your own in the same lettering, or blank with no name and no number. All three come in men’s, women’s and kids’ sizes.
What he leaves behind
Messi retires holding every meaningful Argentina record, and the gap to the next name on each list is the part that will take a generation to close.
| Record | Number | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina caps | 208 | Most in the country’s history. |
| Argentina goals | 126 | Most in the country’s history. |
| Argentina assists | 68 | Most in the country’s history. |
| Major titles | 4 | 2021 Copa América, 2022 Finalissima, 2022 World Cup, 2024 Copa América. |
| World Cups played | 6 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. |
| World Cup appearances | 34 | An all-time record. |
| World Cup goals | 21 | Second on the all-time list. |
| World Cup assists | 12 | An all-time record. |
The trophies column is the one that changed the story. Between 2021 and 2024 he won the Copa América twice, the Finalissima and the World Cup — four major titles in five seasons, after a 28-year wait for the first of them. Argentina had lost four finals in his first eleven years in the shirt; the last five years turned that record inside out.
The Messi era, in order
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 17 August 2005 | First cap, aged 18, against Hungary in Budapest. |
| 2006 | First World Cup: a substitute’s goal against Serbia and Montenegro. |
| 2007 | First major final — the Copa América, lost to Brazil. |
| 2014 | World Cup final in Rio, lost to Germany in extra time. |
| 2021 | Copa América in Brazil: his first senior title with Argentina, and the end of a 28-year wait. |
| 2022 | Finalissima at Wembley, then the World Cup in Qatar — the fourth star. |
| 2024 | Copa América again, a third consecutive major trophy. |
| 6 October 2026 | 208th and final cap, a 3–0 win over Benin at the Monumental. |
The two shirts most associated with that run are still in the store: the 2022/23 home shirt he wore through the World Cup in Qatar, and the 2024/25 home shirt from the last Copa América.
Argentina after Messi
The team does not stop, but the attention does change. Argentina played Bolivia at the Estadio Kempes without him in the same window and drew roughly half a ground; the FA is expected to take more of its fixtures abroad, which is good for the balance sheet and less good for the connection with supporters at home.
The football answer is already in place. Lionel Scaloni has extended his contract by two years and has said he will keep the style built around the group that won in Qatar. Nico Paz, who scored the second goal against Benin, is the name most often attached to the No 10; Palacios, Flores and Prestianni have moved into the squad, with Vega and Giay still being assessed. What Argentina cannot replace is the reach — the reason a friendly against Benin sold out in ninety minutes in the first place.
The next landmark on the calendar is the 2028 Copa América, and that is the tournament by which the new side will be judged. Whoever lifts it will do so without the man around whom every Argentina match has been organised since 2005.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the score in Messi’s last Argentina match?
- Argentina beat Benin 3–0 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday 6 October 2026. Nicolás Otamendi scored the opener from a Messi corner, Nico Paz added the second from a Messi pass, and Messi himself converted a penalty.
- Did Messi score in his final Argentina match?
- Yes — a penalty, his 126th goal for Argentina and his last. He also set up both of the other goals, so the night finished with a goal and two assists in his 208th cap.
- How many caps does Messi have for Argentina?
- 208, more than any other player in the country’s history. He also holds the Argentina records for goals (126) and assists (68).
- Who else played his last Argentina match that night?
- Nicolás Otamendi, who came through the same era as Messi — 17 years and four World Cups together. He scored the opening goal and then retired from international football too.
- Who takes over the No. 10 shirt?
- Nobody is being handed it. Nico Paz, who scored the second goal against Benin, is the player most often named as a successor, but Lionel Scaloni has extended his own contract by two years and is rebuilding around a group rather than a single figure — Palacios (Ipswich), Flores (Boca Juniors), Vega (Zenit), Giay (Palmeiras) and Prestianni (Benfica) were all in or around the squad.
- Why was the match against Benin, and not a bigger name?
- It was an international friendly, and the October window had already been used: Argentina played Bolivia on 30 September and Burkina Faso on 3 October, with Messi left out of both. Benin flew for around 25 hours to take the fixture and turned up without an appearance fee; their captain Sessi D’Almeida greeted Messi in Spanish before kick-off and handed over a gift.
Related reading
Match facts, goals, quotes and the ceremony details: wire reports from Reuters and AP (published by ABC News and China Daily), the AFA’s summary of the fixture, and the Chinese-language match reports of 7 October 2026. Career totals are the figures recorded after the final whistle: 208 caps, 126 goals, 68 assists. Minute marks follow the match clock on the AFA summary.
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