Argentina vs Benin lineups
Argentina vs Benin lineups are not confirmed. The predicted side below is a projected XI from squad reports published in late September 2026, not a team sheet. The confirmed tab stays empty on purpose until AFA and Benin publish the elevens.
| Fixture | Argentina vs Benin |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, 6 October 2026 |
| Kick-off | To be confirmed |
| Venue | Estadio Más Monumental, Buenos Aires |
| Competition | International friendly |
Predicted Argentina XI
Sketch in a 4-3-3, for the Benin match only. Clubs are as LA NACION listed them on 27 September 2026.
- Emiliano Martínez
- Santiago Simón, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico
- Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul
- Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez
Otamendi, De Paul and Messi are in this sketch because reporting said they were available for Benin and not for the earlier friendlies. Simón is one answer at right-back with Molina absent. Giay could start there instead. Lisandro Martínez could start ahead of Otamendi if the farewell is from the bench. None of those swaps would make the graphic wrong in an interesting way. They would make it a sketch, which it already is.
Predicted Benin shape
No Benin team sheet for 6 October has been published in the sources used here. Naming eleven Benin starters would be a guess. Public profiles in September still listed Gernot Rohr as head coach and Steve Mounié among the senior forwards. A compact block, with Mounié as the reference point if he is selected, is the only tactical note that does not pretend to be a leak. The confirmed eleven will be added in the other tab.
Confirmed lineups
To be confirmed. When the official sheets are out, replace this paragraph with both elevens, the formation, and the bench. Until then, an empty confirmed section is the accurate one.
Injuries and suspensions
El Liberal and the squad coverage around 23 and 24 September reported Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada out through injury. They are not on the LA NACION list of 27 September. BBC Sport, on 15 September, reported that Leandro Paredes had been given a 10-game suspension and Nahuel Molina a seven-match suspension after incidents at the World Cup final. Neither name is on the published friendly list. That is consistent with them being unavailable. It is not the same as this site re-judging the ban. If a suspension is reduced, the news page should say so and this XI should move.
Enzo Fernández was described by LA NACION as suspended for the Bolivia friendly and available for Burkina Faso and Benin. He is in the predicted Benin side for that reason. A knock between 3 October and 6 October would remove him. There is no such knock to report today.
How a farewell XI is different
Scaloni has a long list: 35 names appeared on the 27 September report, with four of them tied to the last match. He does not need all of them on the pitch, and he cannot play all of them. A tribute night often means a strong start and a bench that is the story of the second half. World Cup winners were invited to be present with their families, which is not the same as being named in the matchday squad. Presence in the stand is not a lineup.
For Benin, a trip to Buenos Aires for a farewell is a difficult assignment and a visible one. Their coach may protect players who have club games soon after, or he may pick his most experienced side because the occasion is rare. Both choices are open. The Benin news page will carry a real squad if the federation publishes one. Until then the honest lineup is “to be confirmed”.
When to refresh
Refresh this page on the morning of 6 October and again about an hour before the still-unconfirmed kick-off. Training pictures are not a team sheet. A journalist’s “probable XI” is closer to our predicted tab than to the confirmed tab. Only the official graphic should move a name into the confirmed list. The live score should not name a scorer who was not on that sheet.
Bench notes that are not a second XI
The wider Argentina list has enough forwards and midfielders to change the look of the second half without a new prediction. José Manuel López, Santiago Castro, Nico Paz, Franco Mastantuono and Giuliano Simeone are all on the reported September list and none of them is required for the farewell photograph. If Scaloni starts the senior forward line, those names are the plausible hour-mark changes. Writing them as a second predicted XI would fake a certainty the first sketch already does not have. They belong in the conversation as options, which is all this paragraph is.
Questions people ask
What is the confirmed Argentina lineup vs Benin?
To be confirmed. Official team sheets are usually about an hour before kick-off. Nothing below is a leak.
Will Messi start?
He is in the squad for this match. A start is expected in reporting about the farewell, but the minutes and the XI are not confirmed.
Who is missing?
Juan Foyth and Thiago Almada were reported out injured. Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes were not on the published squad list, alongside earlier suspension reports.
What formation will Argentina use?
A 4-3-3 is the projected shape because it fits the forwards on the list. Scaloni can change it. Benin’s shape is to be confirmed.