Messi’s Argentina farewell is here: Everything you need to know, when, where and how to watch his final game in India

FILE PHOTO: Soccer in Soccer – 2026 FIFA World Cup – Group J – Argentina vs. Algeria – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, USA – June 16, 2026 Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates his goal Lionel Messi is preparing to pull on the Argentina shirt for the last time, bringing an extraordinary international career to the final night in Buenos Aires. The setting could hardly have been more fitting as the Estadio Monumental is expected to welcome a huge crowd for the farewell, bringing together the teammates who helped him conquer world football and the younger generation preparing to take the team forward.

Messi’s final appearance for Argentina comes at the Monumental

Messi will make his final appearance for Argentina against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, October 6, with Indian viewers being able to watch the match in the early hours of Wednesday, October 7.Kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 IST while the game will be streamed live on ZEE5 in India and not telecast live on Indian TV.The farewell will bring an estimated 85,000 spectators to the Monumental, with members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winning squad and their families also expected to attend the occasion. Several players from this historic team will share the pitch with Messi for the last time, along with members of the emerging generation who will eventually inherit the responsibility of taking Argentina forward.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) cries at the end of the World Cup soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Benin, ranked 93rd in the world, will provide the opposition in what is officially an international friendly, although the event will carry considerably more significance for the hosts than the result itself.Messi’s international career now stands at 207 appearances and 125 goals for Argentina, making him the country’s record player and top goalscorer, with his 68 assists also a national record.

A career that eventually brought Messi everything with Argentina

For most of Messi’s early international career, his relationship with Argentina was complicated, particularly after painful defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals.The turning point came with the 2021 Copa America, when Messi finally lifted a senior international trophy with Argentina, before adding the 2022 Finalissima and the World Cup in Qatar later that year. He then helped Argentina retain the 2024 Copa America title, capping an extraordinary run of major honors with the national team.His farewell comes two-and-a-half months after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final defeat by Spain in New Jersey, where Messi left the pitch in tears after trying to influence the contest.Also overseeing the farewell to 38-year-old vice-captain Nicolás Otamendi will be Lionel Scaloni, the coach who built the side around Messi and found the supporting cast that helped Argentina finally end their long wait for major international success.Midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso have been called up specifically for the Benin game, meaning Tuesday could also mark their final appearances for Argentina.Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, although he recently admitted his playing career could end sooner than expected following the death of his father Jorge two months ago.

When and where can fans in India watch Messi’s farewell?

The friendly match between Argentina and Benin will be played at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, October 6, with the time difference meaning that the match for viewers in India will be on Wednesday time.Wrestle: Argentina vs BeninDate: Tuesday, October 6, 2026India Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026Kickoff: 4:30 AM ISTPlace: Monumental Stadium, Buenos AiresLive Streaming in India: EEA5Live TV in India: No live TVThe match is expected to give Messi the kind of farewell Argentina fans have long envisioned, with players and families from the 2022 World Cup-winning team joining him on the occasion, as Scaloni prepares to move into the next chapter without the captain who defined the previous one.