For years, fans knew this day would eventually arrive, but few were ready to face it. Lionel Messi has now offered the biggest hint yet that his time with Argentina could be entering its final stretch. Speaking to Apple TV, the 38-year-old suggested that the September 4 World Cup qualifier against Venezuela in Buenos Aires might be his last appearance in the competition, on home soil for the national team, a moment carrying the weight of inevitability for supporters who always wished it would come much later.
Argentina have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup, sitting comfortably at the top of the South American table with 35 points. For Messi, however, this fixture at the Estadio Monumental appears to hold more personal weight than competitive importance.
“Yes, it’s going to be special, a very special match for me because it’s the last qualifier game,” he told journalist Antonella Gonzalez after Inter Miami’s win over Orlando City in the Leagues Cup semifinals.
“I don’t know if there will be a friendly or more games afterward, but yes, it’s a very special match, and that’s why my family will be with me—my wife, my kids, my parents, my siblings, and as many relatives as possible from my wife’s side. We’ll experience it together. After that, like I said, I don’t know what will happen, but we’re going in with that mindset. Thank you,” Messi said after Inter Miami’s League Cup semi-final against Orlando City.
Over the years, Messi has built a remarkable record in World Cup qualifiers—193 caps and a record 31 goals—while delivering some of Argentina’s most memorable performances. The 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar was the pinnacle of his international career, cementing his legacy as one of football’s all-time greats.
Messi is expected to feature in Argentina’s next qualifier against Ecuador on September 9 as well, but that match will be away from home. This makes the September 4 clash likely the final opportunity for local fans to watch him in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.
If this does turn out to be his last, it would close an important chapter in Argentina’s recent footballing history—though Messi has not made any official announcement about retiring from international football altogether.
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