Overview
- The Argentine Football Association announced on Tuesday that Argentina will play Bolivia on Sept. 30 in Córdoba, then Burkina Faso on Oct. 3 and Benin on Oct. 6 at the Monumental de Núñez in Buenos Aires.
- Lionel Messi is included in the 28‑player list but will join the squad only for the Oct. 6 match against Benin, which the AFA and president Claudio Tapia have framed as his formal farewell.
- Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are also cleared to appear solely in the Oct. 6 fixture, while the full 28‑player roster names goalkeepers Emiliano Martínez, Juan Musso and Gerónimo Rulli among other veterans and newcomers.
- The three opponents sit well below Argentina in the FIFA rankings (reported around Bolivia 77th, Burkina Faso 62nd and Benin 93rd), a setup the coaching staff says will allow Lionel Scaloni to test alternatives and integrate younger or domestic‑based players.
- Tapia invited the 2022 World Cup winners and their families to attend Messi's send‑off, and clubs such as Inter Miami and Palmeiras will be affected by the short window calls as Argentina begins its next cycle.