Messi takes his final bow as Argentina meet Benin at a sold-out Monumental

Lionel Messi will play for Argentina for the final time against Benin in Buenos Aires.

The farewell friendly kicks off at 20:00 local time on Tuesday, 6 October at Estadio Monumental, which is Wednesday 00:00 BST. It is reported as Messi's last international match BBC.

The stadium is sold out. Argentina have created a specially designed kit for the occasion BBC.

The Argentine FA confirmed the 20:00 start at El Monumental AFA. It has also organised a "Gracias, Leo" Fan Fest running from midday to midnight on 6 October at Campo de Deportes de la UBA in Buenos Aires. The event is billed as a chance to farewell Messi alongside the national team.

Messi is 39. The Benin game will be his 208th appearance for Argentina, according to preview coverage Al Jazeera. His Argentina career has stretched for more than two decades and included leading the team to a World Cup title.

He was called up on 15 September for a farewell appearance in a home friendly in October. He has since arrived back in Argentina ahead of the Benin match.

Argentina come into the night in heavy scoring form. They beat Burkina Faso 7-0 before facing Benin BBC. A friendly is a match played outside a tournament, with no points at stake. This one is all about the goodbye.

For Benin, the night is historic too. Captain Steve Mounie said he has never played a game for Benin outside Africa BBC.

Mounie will not play. He is out injured. The striker, who now plays for German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg and spent three years at Huddersfield Town from 2017 to 2020, still travelled. He said he paid for his own ticket to join the squad in Argentina BBC.

What makes this stand out is the scale of the shared moment. A sold-out Monumental, a fan park across the city and one last walk out for a player who has shaped how a whole generation remembers the game.