Africa’s Benin Set to Grace Lionel Messi’s Last Dance for Argentina
A West African nation of around 14 million people, Benin will find itself at the centre of one of football’s biggest farewell moments when the Cheetahs face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.
Benin, a country that has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but has made five appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations, will have the rare opportunity to share the pitch with Lionel Messi in what is expected to be the Argentina legend’s final appearance for his country.
Argentina will become only the third non-African national team to face Benin, following previous meetings with Denmark in 1974 and the United Arab Emirates in 2007.
The Cheetahs will face the 3 times World Champion and 2026 FIFA World Cup runners-up at the Estadio Monumental, where an expected crowd of about 85,000 supporters will gather to witness Messi’s final dance in the famous blue-and-white Argentina shirt.
For Benin, the occasion represents far more than an international friendly. It is a chance for a developing African football nation to step onto one of the biggest stages in world football and become part of the closing chapter of one of the greatest careers in the history of the game.
Messi, 39, has already announced his retirement from international football and will make his farewell appearance against Benin after more than two decades representing Argentina. He enters the match as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and all-time leading scorer, with 207 caps and 125 goals.
The match will also bring Benin coach Gernot Rohr face-to-face with one of football’s most decorated national teams. Rohr has been in charge of the Cheetahs since 2023 and guided them back to the AFCON, where their best historical result remains a quarter-final appearance in 2019.
Benin arrive at the fixture with growing confidence. The Cheetahs recently defeated Mauritania in AFCON qualifying, while Argentina have entered the farewell occasion in impressive form after beating Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0 in their latest friendlies.
Although Argentina will be overwhelming favourites, Benin’s players will have a unique opportunity to test themselves against one of the biggest football nations in the world and, perhaps more importantly, tell their own story on a night that will belong largely to Messi.
For a nation that has never reached the World Cup, standing opposite Argentina in Buenos Aires as Messi says goodbye to international football is a moment Benin’s players and supporters are unlikely to forget.
About the Author
Karrel Hamutenya is a senior sports journalist at The Updated World, with more than five years of experience reporting on local sport in Namibia and international sports news.His work covers match reports, transfer updates, and exclusive interviews with athletes, providing fans with deeper insight into the game and the people behind it.
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