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What time is Lionel Messi's last Argentina match and who are the opponents?

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Young, A. (2026, October 6). What time is Lionel Messi's last Argentina match and who are the opponents? Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/what-time-messi-last-argentina-match-kick-off-b1299574.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-06 · by Alex Young

Quick Summary

Lionel Messi will play his last match for Argentina against Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 7, with kickoff at 8pm local time (1am UK time). In the UK, viewers can watch the game live on Premier Sports 2 starting from midnight. The choice of Benin as opponents is attributed to financial considerations by the Argentine Football Association rather than sporting rivalry or significance.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin on Tuesday, October 4, at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, marking the end of an era. The 39-year-old superstar, who has been with Argentina since 2005 and is the country's all-time leading scorer with 125 goals, will bid farewell to fans during this emotionally charged game expected to draw around 85,000 spectators.

Messi’s legacy includes a World Cup title in 2022, two Copa América triumphs (in 2021 and 2024), an Olympic gold medal from 2008, and numerous other accolades. His final match features a special commemorative shirt designed to honor his GOAT status, incorporating the Sun of May symbol, Messi's personal logo, and golden details on the crest and numbers.

The game will also serve as a transition point for Argentina’s national team, with coach Lionel Scaloni highlighting the importance of letting new players take center stage. The match in Buenos Aires starts at 8 PM local time (1 AM BST) and can be watched in the UK on Premier Sports 2 starting from midnight.

Written for “Lionel Messi Farewell Match” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Lionel Messi Farewell Match
Sports · 23 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 65/100
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The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 68/100
Toronto Star
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Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 60/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 65/100
Al Jazeera
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Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 65/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
23
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 7906 article(s) · 65 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 65 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Alex Young
57 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The postponement impacts top-flight sides including Alaves, Celta Vigo, Levante, Real Betis and Valencia, who had all been set to begin their cup runs.
🔮 Arteta’s response suggested he had warned Dowman before kick-off about the physical treatment he might face and the importance of not retaliating.
🔮 Arsenal are expected to launch a bid for Bournemouth youngster Eli Junior Kroupi, who is just returning for a four-month injury layoff as their hopes of reigniting a pursuit of Julian Alvarez appears dead as Atletico Madrid are again digging in their heels ahead of the winter window opening.
🔮 Carrick is expected to be sacked this week, and Howe is reportedly the first-choice pick of club chief James Wilcox is take the job.
🔮 Both Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal will hope to have a thing or two to say about that, with the Real Madrid and Barcelona stars the biggest rivals to Kane.
🔮 The England captain has been in talks with Bayern over a contract extension for some time, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season.
🔮 Tottenham will again be sweating over James Maddison’s fitness after the midfielder was forced off against Chelsea.
🔮 Marco Rose’s men followed up Thursday’s famous Europa League win by the same scoreline against an AC Milan managed by Ruben Amorim, whose successor could soon be following him out of Old Trafford.
🔮 Joe Willock had a second goal chalked off by VAR soon after, before Barnes doubled the Magpies’ advantage two minutes before the hour.
🔮 "If you go back 25 years, these players would never be anywhere near the club, never mind the pitch.
Also by Alex Young
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 57 articles by Alex Young →

Topics

Argentina Buenos Aires Copa America Premier Sports 2 World Cup

Subjects

Messi PERSON · 10× Argentina GPE · 9× Benin GPE · 3× Buenos Aires GPE · 2× Premier Sports 2 ORG · 2× FIFA ORG · 1× Ireland GPE · 1× Lionel Scaloni PERSON · 1× Premier Sports ORG · 1× The Guardian ORG · 1×

Narrative

A glittering international career, which has produced one World Cup win and two Copa America triumphs, Messi will lead his nation out at the Monumental Stadium for what will be an emotional night in Buenos Aires.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05
🔮 A glittering international career, which has produced one World Cup win and two Copa America triumphs, Messi will lead his nation out at the Monumental Stadium for what will be an emotional night in Buenos Aires.
2026-10-05 · Evening Standard
When is Lionel Messi's final Argentina game and who are the opponents? · assertive framing
2026-10-06 · Evening Standard
What time is Lionel Messi's last Argentina match and who are the opponents? · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 1 hedged)

A glittering international career, which has produced one World Cup win and two Copa America triumphs, Messi will lead his nation out at the Monumental Stadium for what will be an emotional night in Buenos Aires. asserted
what → glitter → Aires
“It’s going to be an unforgettable day for everyone,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said recently. asserted
Scaloni → go → everyone
“Everyone wants to be at this match, and now it’s just about enjoying it.” asserted
it → want → it
The match will be played at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm local time, which is 1am UK time in the morning of Wednesday, October 7. asserted
which → play → Wednesday
How to watch Messi's last Argentina match TV channel: asserted
watch → watch → channel
In the UK and Ireland, Premier Sports holds the rights to Argentina's matches, including Messi's farewell against Benin. asserted
Sports → hold → Benin
The match will be broadcast on Premier Sports 2, with coverage starting at 12am midnight in the UK. asserted
coverage → broadcast → UK
UK viewers can watch Premier Sports 2 via the website or app. asserted
viewers → watch → website
Why is Messi retiring from Argentina? asserted
Messi → retire → Argentina
Messi announced that he would bring his international career to an end following the 2026 World Cup. “I gave it my all. asserted
I → announce → all
I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” Messi wrote when announcing his international retirement in August. asserted
Messi → have → August
His final appearance represents the end of an Argentina career that began more than 20 years ago and ultimately delivered the trophies he had spent much of his career chasing. asserted
he → represent → career
Messi led Argentina to Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, as well as the 2022 World Cup. asserted
Messi → lead → 2021
He also reached the 2018 and 2026 World Cup finals. asserted
He → reach → finals
He is also Argentina's record appearance holder and leading goalscorer, with 207 caps and 125 goals heading into his farewell. asserted
He → lead → farewell
Why were Benin picked as Messi's last opponents? asserted
Benin → pick → opponents
The choice of Benin is a curious one, but perhaps explained quite simply. asserted
choice → explain → Benin
According to The Guardian, an international opponent such as the world’s 89th-best nation according to FIFA commands a relatively low cost in terms of match fees compared to a more established , higher-profile opponent. uncertain
opponent → accord → opponent
This, in turn, allows the Argentine Football Association to retain a larger share of the revenue generated from the fixture. asserted
Association → allow → fixture
But, the event is simply a friendly fixtures arranged for Messi to bow out in front of a home crowd, while members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families have been invited to attend. asserted
members → arrange → squad
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