Messi's farewell ticket sale moves to Thursday; the Messi Cup doubles to 16 teams (2026)

Tickets for Lionel Messi's farewell match were supposed to go on sale on Tuesday afternoon in Argentina. The Argentine Football Association moved the sale a few hours before it was due to open. 1

The sale now starts on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 18:00 in Argentina, which is Friday, Sept. 25 at 05:00 in Shanghai. The AFA announced the change a little after 14:00 on Tuesday, roughly four hours before the original opening, and gave no reason for it. 2 3

One sale covers both of Argentina's matches at the Estadio Monumental: Burkina Faso on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Benin on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The second is the farewell, and what would be Messi's 208th and final cap. Prices are the same for both matches, from 90,000 pesos in the popular section to 480,000 for the middle seats in San Martín and Belgrano. 2

Tickets are sold only through deportick.com. The AFA has opened no ticket windows for either match. 2 Children aged 3 to 10 pay 29,000 pesos in the popular section, and under-3s pay nothing. 1 Supporters with disabilities have to arrange admission on the same site during the general sale and collect the ticket before matchday; anyone who has not done that will not be let in. 2

The window opens a week earlier in Córdoba, where the AFA began selling tickets on Monday for Argentina vs Bolivia on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Few are left: only the lower Gasperini stand at 140,000 pesos and the Ardiles at 170,000. 2

The Messi Cup doubles to 16 teams

Inter Miami announced on Tuesday that the Messi Cup, the youth tournament the club hosts in Fort Lauderdale, will return for a second edition from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, at Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. The first edition had eight academies; this one has 16, and Inter Miami's under-16 side will play in it. 4

The field is Inter Miami, Ajax, Inter Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Benfica, Barcelona, Palmeiras, Arsenal, Newell's Old Boys, Flamengo, UE Cornellà, Manchester City, Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente del Valle and Chelsea. The club says Inter Miami's match schedule will be released later, and that Disney+, ESPN+ and ESPN's television channels will carry the tournament, with availability varying by country. 4

The Messi Cup was created so that the boys can enjoy a unique experience, both on and off the pitch, at a very important stage in their development, while also beginning to understand what it means to compete at the highest international level. We're very happy to see the tournament continue to grow and to be able to bring together players from so many great clubs around the world so they can compete, share the experience and, above all, enjoy football. 4

75 free kicks, second on the all-time list

The free kick Messi curled in against San Diego FC on Sunday was the 75th direct free kick of his career, and it moved him to second on the all-time list of free-kick scorers. 5 He passed Jair Rosa Pinto, the Brazil forward on 74. Ahead of him is Marcelinho Carioca, the Brazilian midfielder who played for Flamengo, Corinthians and Santos, on 78: three more free kicks draw Messi level, four take him past. Roberto Dinamite (73) and Juninho Pernambucano (72) follow in the top five. 5

The same goal took Messi to 930 career goals for club and country, second behind Cristiano Ronaldo's 979. 5 6 Of the 75, 50 came at Barcelona, 12 for Argentina, 11 for Inter Miami and two at Paris Saint-Germain. 6

Inter Miami's last match before the window

Messi is expected to play for Inter Miami away to the Columbus Crew on Sunday, Sept. 27, which is Monday, Sept. 28 at 07:00 in Shanghai. 7 Argentina has released him and Rodrigo De Paul to report only for the Benin match, so both stay with the club through the Columbus game and miss the friendlies against Bolivia and Burkina Faso. 8

Seven teammates will be away. Inter Miami's own call-up list runs to nine players, Messi and De Paul included; the others are Germán Berterame (Mexico), Dayne St. Clair (Canada), Matías Galarza (Paraguay, his first call-up as an Inter Miami player), Fricio Caicedo (Ecuador), Lovend's Delinois (Haiti) and two academy players, Daniel Pinter with the United States under-20s and Alexander Shaw with the under-19s. 9

Injuries have cut into the squad as well. Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende are out for the season after surgery, Santiago Morales is still recovering from a quad injury, and Ian Fray came off against Nashville with a groin problem, according to World Soccer Talk. 8 New signing Riquelme Fillipi is waiting on his international transfer certificate and P-1 visa before he can be cleared to play. 8

Columbus beat CF Montreal 2-0 on Sept. 19 and is chasing a playoff place. Inter Miami is third in the Eastern Conference on 46 points, level with New England, with seven games left. 7

What to watch next

When (Asia/Shanghai)	What happens	Why it matters
Fri, Sept. 25, 05:00	Tickets for Argentina vs Burkina Faso and Argentina vs Benin go on sale at deportick.com	The new date for both Monumental matches, the second of them Messi's farewell 2
Mon, Sept. 28, 07:00	Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami, MLS regular season, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field	Miami's last league match before the international window, and Messi is expected to play it 7
Wed, Sept. 30, kickoff to be announced	Argentina vs Bolivia, friendly, Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba	Opens the window; Messi is not expected to feature 8
Sat, Oct. 3, kickoff to be announced	Argentina vs Burkina Faso, friendly, Estadio Monumental	The middle match, and the second of the two with tickets on sale Friday 4
Tue, Oct. 6, kickoff to be announced	Argentina vs Benin, friendly, Estadio Monumental	Messi's farewell, and what would be his 208th and final cap 4