Argentina will begin a new chapter without Lionel Messi when the world champions face Bolivia in a friendly on September 30, before taking on two African opponents in October.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed a three-match home series that will see Lionel Scaloni’s side face Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30, followed by Burkina Faso on October 3 and Benin on October 6 in Buenos Aires.

The fixtures will mark Argentina’s first matches since the 2026 World Cup and come after Messi announced his retirement from international football.

However, Argentina’s first match without Messi as a player will not be his final appearance for the national team. The 39-year-old has been included in the squad for the October 6 friendly against Benin, which has been arranged as his official farewell match.

Argentina will host Bolivia at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba on September 30.

The match is expected to provide an opportunity for Scaloni to begin assessing the team without relying on Messi in the longer term, while continuing to integrate established players and emerging members of the squad.

The fixture will also be Argentina’s first match since the 2026 World Cup, according to reports confirming the schedule.

The game will be played with restrictions on stadium capacity following FIFA sanctions connected to incidents during the World Cup, according to Reuters.

Argentina will remain at home for the remainder of the friendly series.

The team will face Burkina Faso at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 3 before meeting Benin at the same venue three days later.

The two fixtures against African opposition will give Argentina further opportunities to test players and combinations as the national team prepares for its next competitive cycle.

For Burkina Faso and Benin, the matches will also provide opportunities to face the reigning world champions on Argentine soil.

Although Messi announced his international retirement last month, the AFA has included him in the squad for the Benin match.

Reuters reported that Messi accepted the invitation for the October 6 farewell at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium. Former teammates from Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad have also been invited to participate in the celebration.

Messi’s international career has included the 2022 World Cup title and Copa América victories in 2021 and 2024. His farewell will therefore come after more than two decades representing Argentina at senior level.

The October 6 match against Benin is expected to provide the formal closing chapter to Messi’s Argentina career, even though the team will already have played two matches in the new cycle before his farewell appearance.

With Messi approaching the end of his international career, attention will increasingly turn to how Scaloni shapes the next generation of Argentina’s team.

The squad still contains several players who played important roles during Argentina’s recent successful period, including Emiliano Martínez, Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez. At the same time, the upcoming friendlies provide an opportunity to assess younger players and potential successors in key positions.

Argentina’s upcoming schedule therefore combines a competitive test against Bolivia with two matches against African opposition and a final opportunity for supporters to see Messi in the national colours.

For Argentina, the September 30 meeting with Bolivia will begin the transition. The October 6 encounter with Benin will provide the farewell