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…More than 85,000 tickets were snapped up as fans rushed to secure seats for Messi’s final Argentina appearance at the Monumental.
Tickets for Lionel Messi’s farewell appearance for Argentina have sold out in less than two hours, with more than 85,000 supporters expected to attend the October 6 friendly against Benin at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental.
The match will mark Messi’s final appearance for the Argentina national team after he announced his retirement from international football in August.
FIFA confirmed that Messi will play his final Argentina match against Benin at the Monumental, with the Argentine Football Association describing the fixture as the farewell the captain deserves on home soil.
Monumental Set For Packed Farewell
Ticket sales opened through the Deportick platform on Thursday, September 24, and demand was immediate.
Several Argentine media outlets reported that the available tickets were exhausted before 8 p.m., less than two hours after sales began. Other reports put the sellout at around 90 minutes.
The rapid sellout followed long virtual queues as thousands of supporters attempted to access the ticketing platform.
The exact number of tickets publicly available has been reported differently, but reports consistently indicate that more than 80,000 seats were made available and that the allocation sold out in under two hours.
The Monumental, home of River Plate, can accommodate around 85,000 spectators, setting the stage for a packed stadium when Messi walks out for his final Argentina appearance.
Messi To Make Final Argentina Appearance
FIFA confirmed that the October 6 fixture against Benin will be Messi’s final game for Argentina.
The 39-year-old announced his decision to retire from international football in August after a career spanning more than two decades.
AFA president Claudio Tapia said the federation invited Messi to return for a farewell match so he could receive a send-off in Argentina.
Tapia also invited members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad and their families to attend the occasion.
Messi’s international career has included major titles with Argentina, including the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.
Special Farewell At Monumental
The Argentina-Benin fixture is the final match in Argentina’s three-game international programme for the October window.
The team is scheduled to face Bolivia in Córdoba on September 30 before meeting Burkina Faso at the Monumental on October 3.
Messi is expected to feature specifically in the October 6 match against Benin, which has been designated as his farewell appearance.
The decision to stage the farewell at the Monumental has generated significant interest among Argentina supporters, with tickets for the match selling out far more quickly than those for the other fixtures in the window.
Scaloni Prepared For Emotional Farewell
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has acknowledged the importance of giving Messi a farewell while the forward remains available to represent the national team.
The coach has said he wanted the farewell to happen now rather than leave it for a later date, given the uncertainty surrounding when another opportunity might arise.
The October 6 fixture will consequently bring together Messi, the Argentina supporters and members of the national team for a final appearance in the famous blue-and-white shirt on home soil.
For Argentina, the match will be an opportunity to formally recognise the career of its captain. For supporters, the sold-out Monumental will provide the setting for Messi’s final international appearance in the country.
With the tickets already exhausted, attention will now turn to the match itself and the farewell ceremony planned for one of the most significant figures in Argentina’s modern football history.
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