AFA confirms next steps for national football team after Messi’s retirement
Fernando Romero NunezUpdated 7 hours Ago1 Mins read
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Tuesday the next set of matchups for the men’s national team, in what’s set to be the first series of games the Albiceleste plays following the retirement of former captain and superstar Lionel Messi.
Argentina will make full use of the international games window from September 21 to October 6, taking on three rivals at home: Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin.
The first game of the series will be hosted in Córdoba at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium on September 30 against Bolivia. After that, the Albiceleste will return to Buenos Aires to take on Burkina Faso and Benin on October 3 and 6, respectively. Both games will be hosted at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium.
No Messi, farewell Scaloni? It will be the first time Argentina plays official games without Messi on the squad since the World Cup Qualifiers double headers in March 2025, when Argentina visited Uruguay and then hosted Brazil, winning 1-0 and 4-1, respectively.
Since Messi’s debut on August 17, 2005, Argentina played 67 games without him, with a tally of 40 wins, 14 ties and 13 defeats.
The 39-year-old star confirmed his decision not to represent the Albiceleste in any future games in August, with a heartfelt message posted on his Instagram account.
The games could also prove to be among the last with Lionel Scaloni as the Albiceleste head coach.
Scaloni is yet to confirm whether he’ll continue at the helm of the Argentine national team after his contract expires in December of this year. After this set of games, the last window of the year is scheduled for November.
