According to the schedule announced by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Lionel Messi and his teammates will meet Honduras on June 6, at Kyle Field Stadium in Texas. The second match will take place with Iceland on Tuesday, June 9, at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.
These will be the final rehearsals for coach Lionel Scaloni to perfect his playing style and finalize personnel plans for the 2026 World Cup. As the defending champion, the Argentine team receives a lot of attention from fans.
In the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, the Argentina team will successively face the Algerian team (June 16), Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27). This is considered a fairly easy group for the South American team. Among these, the Jordan team is participating in the World Cup for the first time.
Argentina is on a 5-match winning streak, since losing to Ecuador 0-1 on September 9, 2025. Over the past time, they have continuously played friendly matches with opponents far behind them in the rankings such as Puerto Rico, Angola, Mauritania, Zambia and have all won quite easily.
In the rankings, Argentina is ranked 3rd in the world, behind France and Spain. These are also considered two formidable opponents to compete for the world championship with them. Portugal, Brazil, England, and Germany are also bright candidates for the race to the championship.
If he participates in the 2026 World Cup, Lionel Messi will have his 6th appearance in this arena. He is currently the player holding the record for the number of appearances at the World Cup. In addition, the star born in 1987 also received the title of best player of the tournament twice at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups.
The upcoming tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico is likely Messi's farewell to the Argentine team. In addition to him, center-back Otamendi may also say goodbye to his international career after the 2026 World Cup.
