Argentina to face Uruguay at La Bombonera, not Messi's Monumental farewell ground
Argentina are about to begin the post-Messi era after Lionel Messi's international career ended recently. But in the November FIFA window, Lionel Scaloni's team will not play at the Monumental stadium where Messi played his last match in the Argentina shirt.
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) announced the schedule and venues for Argentina's two November-window matches on 16 October. The opponents are Uruguay and Costa Rica.
The Argentina-Uruguay match was due to be held in Buenos Aires on 13 November, but the venue had not been confirmed at the time. Yesterday the AFA said Scaloni's team will face Uruguay at La Bombonera in the capital.
After the Uruguay match Argentina will have a three-day break. On 17 November they will play Costa Rica at the Mario Kempes Stadium in Cordoba. That venue remains as previously announced.
In the most recent October FIFA window Argentina won all three of their matches. They scored 14 goals across the three games and conceded none. They beat Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0. Messi did not play in those two matches.
The match against Benin was all about Messi. On 7 October at the Monumental he broke down in tears while giving his farewell speech. In that match he contributed to all three of Argentina's goals, with one goal and two assists.
At the same Monumental, in 2023, Messi celebrated with the World Cup trophy in a friendly against Panama. He had fulfilled his lifelong dream by winning the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Messi played a record 208 matches for Argentina. He also holds the team's scoring record with 126 goals, along with 69 assists. Of those goals, 21 came at World Cups, including eight at the 2026 World Cup.
In the Argentina shirt Messi won four titles: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2024 Copa America.
