Argentina team news

Argentina team news for the Benin friendly is about who was held back for 6 October 2026. Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso and Nicolás Otamendi are available only for that Monumental match. Kick-off is 20:00 in Buenos Aires (23:00 UTC). Lionel Scaloni is the coach.

The shape of the window

Argentina came out of the 2026 World Cup as runners-up, after a final loss to Spain. The September-October camp is three friendlies: Bolivia in Córdoba on 30 September, Burkina Faso at the Monumental on 3 October, and Benin at the Monumental on 6 October. Team news for Benin is not the same document as team news for Bolivia. Readers who mix them will “confirm” Messi in a game he was never called for.

The 27 September squad list is the spine of this page. The long pool has goalkeepers Emiliano Martínez, Juan Musso, Gerónimo Rulli and Santiago Beltrán; a defence that includes Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico and Otamendi; a midfield that includes Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, De Paul and Lo Celso; and forwards Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez and Messi. The full clubs and the rest of the names are on the Argentina vs Benin squad.

Injuries

Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada are injury absences for the window. They do not appear on the 27 September list. No fresh injury bulletin for the players who are in the squad is being claimed here. Training knocks between now and 6 October are to be confirmed. A farewell camp can also rest a player without calling it an injury. Rest is team news too, and it should be labelled rest.

Suspensions

Leandro Paredes received a 10-game suspension and Nahuel Molina a seven-match suspension after on-field incidents at the World Cup final. Neither is in the friendly squad list used here. That fits the bans still running. It is not a new disciplinary finding by this site. Enzo Fernández, by contrast, was described as banned only for Bolivia and free to face Burkina Faso and Benin. He is a likely part of the Benin midfield if he comes through the 3 October game without a problem. “If” matters. Three days is a short turnaround.

Who will not be at the homage

On 29 September, Roma said Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina will not travel for the 6 October event. The club pointed to the length of the trip and to its own fixtures. Molina was already out of the playing squad because of the seven-match ban. This is a second fact: he will not be there for the tribute either. Dybala was invited with the 2022 World Cup squad. He was not called into the Benin team. Paredes is still out of the squad on his longer ban. Roma’s note did not mention him.

The number 10 this week

Scaloni said the 10 stays empty against Bolivia and against Burkina Faso. Messi wears it against Benin. He has not chosen who wears it after that. Treat any line that says the number has been retired as wrong until AFA says so in those words.

The Benin-only group

Holding Messi, De Paul, Lo Celso and Otamendi for the last night is the main selection story. It keeps the farewell group together and it keeps them out of the two matches that are not the tribute. Otamendi’s presence on that short list was widely read as his own goodbye. De Paul has been listed at Inter Miami, the same club as Messi, in the September squad notes. Lo Celso was listed at Real Betis. Whether all four start, or some appear from the bench for the photograph and a few minutes, is the lineup question. It is not answered yet.

Around them Scaloni has younger players in the wider squad: Franco Mastantuono, Gianluca Prestianni, Nico Paz, Giuliano Simeone and others. They can fill the Bolivia and Burkina Faso games and still appear against Benin if the seniors only play an hour. That is a plausible plan. It is not a confirmed plan.

What is not team news

A crowd graphic, a ticket sell-out and a TV report are not injuries or call-ups. They live on the ticket and TV pages. A fan vote for a captain is not team news unless AFA says it. Scaloni has already spoken on the number 10 for this window, and that part is above. The next real update is a training note from the camp, then the team sheet.

Between Burkina Faso and Benin

The most important team-news window is the 72 hours after 3 October. Players who start against Burkina Faso may be managed for the farewell, and players who were held back — Messi, De Paul, Lo Celso, Otamendi — will train with a group that has already played. Any muscle injury in that gap is more important than a tactical rumour. Update this page with the player’s name and the source, or leave it. A “blow for Scaloni” headline without a named injury is noise. The same rule applies to a rumoured captain’s armband or a shirt retirement. AFA can announce those. A fan account cannot, not on this page.

Honorary doctorate on 6 October

The University of Buenos Aires will give Lionel Messi a Doctor Honoris Causa before the Benin match. The Superior Council approved it unanimously, and the decision was made public on 30 September. The ceremony is on Tuesday 6 October at the Monumental, ahead of the 20:00 kick-off. The exact minute has not been published. Details are on the honorary doctorate note.

Best moments, before the last match

The senior titles already won are the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América. The 2026 World Cup ended with a final loss to Spain. None of that is the Benin night. The longer note is Messi's best moments with Argentina.

Questions people ask

All of our farewell coverage is on Argentina vs Benin.