Lionel Messi to miss Argentina friendly against Burkina Faso at Estadio Más Monumental

Argentina will host Burkina Faso at the Estadio Más Monumental in an international friendly on October 3, 2026, and Lionel Messi will not play in the match, the club’s preparations indicate. The 39-year-old forward has not joined first-team training and is set to miss the fixture.

Lionel Scaloni’s side arrive off a 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia, with Lautaro Martinez opening the scoring in the 19th minute and Nico Paz, Cristian Romero and Jose Lopez also on the scoresheet. La Albiceleste controlled that game from the start and kept a clean sheet. Argentina are already framing plans for the post-Lionel Messi era after the player announced his retirement following the FIFA World Cup 2026 final loss to Spain, and Messi is due to return for a farewell appearance for his country.

Messi was not pictured in the final training session ahead of the Burkina Faso match and the team’s social media post read: "#SelecciónMayor Ensayo final antes del partido con Burkina Faso ⚽🇦🇷📘 https://t.co/jtrMm7EaeP pic.twitter.com/0mSOfuGgdF". The absence from training means he will not be part of Argentina’s squad for this friendly.

The 39-year-old is described as fit and recently played for his club, Inter Miami, appearing in a 1-2 loss against Columbus Crew in MLS 2026. Those appearances for Inter Miami are cited by the report as evidence of his match fitness despite not joining the national team for this fixture.

Argentina’s attacking responsibilities will remain with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, while Nico Paz and Alexis Mac Allister are expected to be important in midfield. In defence, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez have been performing positively for the side, and Emiliano Martinez is set to continue in goal.

Messi has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances for La Albiceleste, a tally noted in the report. The article reiterates that he has not joined the squad for training and will miss the Argentina versus Burkina Faso friendly.

Messi is scheduled to rejoin Argentina for the match against Benin on October 6, which the report states will serve as his farewell appearance for the national team.