Argentina will play against Venezuela during Matchday 17 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. This match is anticipated to be Lionel Messi’s last qualifier on home soil. Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, made a notable statement about this event.
After Inter Miami’s victory over Orlando City in the 2025 Leagues Cup semifinal, Messi told a reporter that the game against Venezuela would be his final World Cup qualifier in Argentina. However, Scaloni stated at a press conference on Wednesday that they will do everything they can to ensure that’s not true.
“Tomorrow will be a special and emotional match. I’m sure it won’t be his last in Argentina because we’ll make sure he plays another one if he wants to. It’s clear that will happen. We’ll find the right time because he deserves it,” Scaloni said.
Messi mentioned it would be his last qualifier in Argentina since there are no more qualifiers planned in the country before the 2026 World Cup. Any additional matches would likely be friendlies.
Lionel Messi during a training session with Argentina. (Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images))
Looking ahead, while there has been no official word from FIFA or CONMEBOL, it is expected that Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will not need to qualify for the 2030 World Cup since they will be among the hosts. This means Argentina won’t play another qualifier until 2031, by which time Messi will be 44 years old.
Scaloni on Messi’s availability for upcoming matches
With the excitement around Messi’s last home qualifier, Lionel Scaloni confirmed that the Inter Miami player will start in Thursday’s match against Venezuela. Scaloni also mentioned that, unless something unexpected happens, Messi will travel with the team to Ecuador for the last match of the qualifying round.
“He will start and he will also go to Ecuador for the second game, like everyone else unless something happens,” Scaloni told reporters. Additionally, the coach indicated that younger players like Nico Paz and Franco Mastantuono might get chances, as Argentina has already secured its spot in the 2026 World Cup.