The Argentina national football team will match up against its Venezuelan counterpart on Thursday as part of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

For the Albiceleste, there’s very little at stake sporting-wise, having secured its ticket to the tournament all the way back in March. 

The game, however, will not lack emotional pull, as it could potentially be Lionel Messi’s last official game on home soil. Also, fans will also be keen to see what new blood head coach Lionel Scaloni brings.

AFA confirmed three musical shows in the run-up to the game, featuring La Banda de Carlitos, Q’ Lokura, and Uriel Lozano, recommending fans to show up at least two hours before kickoff “to enjoy all the pre-match festivities.” No doubt, the evening has the markings of becoming a celebration of this successful era of the Argentine team.

But is it really the last dance?

Messi’s decline? Not concerned

Signs of Messi slowing down have become more apparent in recent years. The Rosario superstar was seen crying at the side of the pitch during the 2024 Copa America final, after coming off with an injury. It was a grim reminder for football fans that Father Time remains undefeated.

Scaloni, however, seems unconcerned.

“Messi’s earned the right to decide when to call it a day,” the head coach said in an interview ahead of the game. “Like all great players, he continues to make a difference even at this stage of his career, and he will continue to do so until the last day of his career.”

The Argentina coach said his focus is on “getting players healthy ahead of the World Cup” and insisted on the importance of the friendly matches that will come after the qualifiers are over. 

The Albiceleste will play two friendly matches in the remainder of 2025, first in October in the United States against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, and then in November in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala, India, with rivals yet to be confirmed.

Elevating Argentina’s home championship

A number of key players in the Qatar 2022 squad have since moved away from the European game, among them Boca’s Leandro Paredes and River’s Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña. Scaloni, however, is not worried.

“Argentine football is incredibly competitive,” he said. “We value players’ performance, not where they do it.”

“Paredes’ return elevates Argentine football,” he said, choosing to focus less on how lesser competition affects players and more on the other side of that interchange. He cited Ángel Di María’s incredible free kick goal for Rosario Central against Newell’s Old Boys in the Rosario derby as an example of what the Qatar 2022 winners returning can do for the local game.

A slow evolution

Scaloni admitted that the national team has seen a transformation since his first days helming the squad, going from a flat out attacking style to a more patient approach.

“The arrival of new players, which so far has gone on naturally, helps a lot,” he said. “It refreshes the team.”

It’s a process that has worked slowly, with the coach progressively introducing the likes of Nicolás Paz, Franco Mastantuono, and Leonardo Balerdi. Others, like Thiago Almada and Exequiel Palacios, have gone from the fringes to regular starters.

The game against Venezuela will likely be the last time several of Qatar 2022’s heroes don the Albiceleste jersey in front of the home fans, as some of the older players are set to be replaced by the new generation. Scaloni has managed the process of moving away from that iconic team part by part, bit by bit. 

And although the coach has admitted that his cycle at the front of the Argentine national team has been more successful than most, Scaloni certainly won’t be making radical changes any time soon.