AFA will reveal Argentina's first post-Messi friendly schedule Monday, though Lionel Scaloni's future beyond December remains uncertain. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed via social media that it will reveal the matches, venues and dates for Argentina’s upcoming friendlies on Monday, marking the national team’s first announcement since Lionel Messi‘s retirement from international duty. While official confirmation is still pending, the plan is for all three friendlies to be played in Argentina during the FIFA window running from September 20 to October 6, giving fans a chance to reconnect with the team after the World Cup final loss to Spain. The matches are expected to be held in Buenos Aires, likely at El Monumental, along with stops in Rosario and either Cordoba or Santiago del Estero. The AFA is also reportedly hoping to convince Messi to attend at least one of the matches, whether as a player in a farewell game or as a special guest. Argentina also won’t be able to call on several players and staff members currently serving FIFA suspensions stemming from incidents after the World Cup final against Spain: Leandro Paredes faces the longest ban at 10 matches, followed by Nahuel Molina (7), assistant coach Roberto Ayala (3), and Thiago Almada (1). #SelecciónMayor El próximo lunes, la @afa, dará a conocer los partidos amistosos que disputará el equipo Lionel Scaloni en la fecha FIFA de septiembre/octubre. pic.twitter.com/eGuCG9Lvth— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) September 4, 2026 While FIFA had approved a request allowing those sanctions to be served in friendlies rather than exclusively in official competitions, that relief comes with a catch — if the matches are played on Argentine soil, FIFA reportedly wouldn’t classify them as Class A friendlies, meaning none of those serving bans would be able to start clearing their suspensions, or even complete them, through these games. Scaloni’s future remains uncertain Beyond the matches themselves, the window arrives amid growing uncertainty over Scaloni’s own future. Asked whether the World Cup final carried the feel of a farewell despite his wish to continue, the coach didn’t rule out an exit. “I have a contract until December and after that I’ll probably step away, contrary to what you’d think. I still have to talk with the president about it. This job is a dream, but it demands a lot of time, there’s a lot to do. We’ll see, I’ll be here until December,” Scaloni said, putting his continuation beyond the end of the year seriously in doubt. AFA president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia pushed back on that uncertainty in an interview with TyC Sports, making clear the federation has no interest in looking beyond its current coach. “I don’t have a Plan B. My Plan A, my Plan B and my Plan C is Scaloni,” Tapia said. Whether that support is enough to convince Scaloni to extend his stay should become clear by the end of the year, once his contract officially expires.
Gerardo Martino warned that no team can fully neutralize Lionel Messi over 90 minutes ahead of Atlanta United's clash with Inter Miami. Gerardo “Tata” Martino reflected on what it means to face his former star player Lionel Messi ahead of Atlanta United’s clash with Inter Miami this Saturday, in what marks his first meeting with the Argentine since taking over as Atlanta’s head coach. Martino, who led Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield before stepping away last year, didn’t hold back when discussing the challenge of trying to contain his old captain. “Really, he’s the one who has the decision, not us — we’re the ones who are going to play against him. It’s always been that way. I don’t know, we just saw it, 39 years old at a World Cup, and everything that happened in a match went through him,” Martino said. The reference wasn’t lost on anyone following Messi’s summer: at 39, he delivered arguably his best statistical World Cup, scoring eight goals as Argentina reached the final before falling to Spain. Building toward Saturday. 🧱🔥 #MIAvATL pic.twitter.com/KvNF1YcRFc— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 2, 2026 “No team is capable of neutralizing him for 92, 93, 95 minutes of a match. So there’s always a moment where he’s going to be decisive. Sometimes there are many moments in a match, sometimes, like the match against England, it’s just one moment and it’s over, there’s no turning back,” Martino continued. “And this is the same thing. I told the players: if we control the game for 89 minutes, it’s possible we still lose it,” the Argentine coach added. The comments set the stage for Saturday’s matchup, as Atlanta look to spring an upset against a Miami side currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference. Martino and Messi’s shared history across three teams Martino first coached Messi at Barcelona during the 2013-14 season, guiding the club to a 40-11-8 record across 59 matches and lifting the Spanish Super Cup, though Barcelona fell short in both LaLiga and the Copa del Rey that year. He then took the reins of the Argentina national team in 2014, leading Messi and company to a 19-7-3 record over two years, reaching back-to-back Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016, both of which ended in defeat to Chile. Their most successful stretch together came at Inter Miami, where Messi’s arrival in 2023 produced an immediate impact under Martino, scoring 11 goals in his first nine matches for the club. Martino went on to guide Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield before departing the club last year, closing out a partnership with Messi that spanned more than a decade across three different teams.
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