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September 2025 will mark the end of an era. Lionel Messi, Argentina’s captain and football’s eternal icon, is set to play his final CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying matches. On September 4, he’ll take the field at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental against Venezuela, and on September 9, he’ll close this chapter in Quito against Ecuador—a city that holds one of the most dramatic moments of his career.
Messi enters these matches already as the all-time top scorer in South American qualifiers. Now, he’s on the verge of one last milestone: becoming the player with the most appearances in the competition’s history. With 71 qualifiers under his belt, he’s just one shy of Ecuadorian legend Iván Hurtado’s record of 72. Two more games, and Messi will stand alone at the top of yet another list.
In a heartfelt interview, Messi admitted the significance of this moment.
“Yes, it will be special, very special for me because it’s my last qualifiers… My wife, my kids, my parents, my brothers—everyone who can come will be there. We’ll live it that way. After that, I don’t know what comes next, but that’s our intention.”
The Monumental will be more than a stadium that night. With over 85,000 fans expected, it will be a stage of gratitude—a celebration of the man who ended Argentina’s long wait for trophies: Copa América 2021, the Finalissima 2022, and the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has made it clear: this is Messi’s moment.
“Let’s enjoy him while we still have him. He earned the right to decide when to stop, and from us, he will have full support.”
Scaloni even drew parallels with Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting how both legends extended their careers at the highest level through unmatched professionalism.
If Buenos Aires is about celebration, Quito will be about poetry. It was there, in 2017, that Messi scored a hat trick against Ecuador to rescue Argentina’s World Cup dream. Eight years later, he may play his final qualifier in the same city—this time with Argentina already safe, but with history still in his grasp.
For Messi, these aren’t just qualifiers. They are the final verses in a song he’s been writing for nearly two decades. One last record, one last ovation, and a farewell worthy of the greatest player of his generation.
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