KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Lionel Messi will look to play his first match for Argentina in 4 months
- Messi likely to feature against Venezuela in 2026 FIFA WC qualifiers
- Argentina sitting at the top of their group, Venezuela in sixth place
Lionel Messi suffered an ankle injury during the 2024 Copa America final and hasn’t played for Argentina since. The 37-year-old will be hoping to make his first appearance for La Albicelete in nearly four months as Argentina gear up to face off against Venezuela in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup holders will travel to Maturin to face Venezuela on Friday at the Estadio Estadio Monumental de Maturin. With Lionel Scaloni’s Argentine team sitting pretty atop the World Cup qualifying group with 18 points from six matches, they are in fine form. Venezuela meanwhile are currently in sixth place in the standings with 10 points hoping to cut down the gap between themselves and Messi’s team.
The top six teams from the group will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026 which will be co-hosted by USA, Mexico, and Canada, whereas the seventh-placed team will take part in the inter-confederation play-off.
Messi is fit to play after having trained at Inter Miami’s training center in Florida, after helping his MLS team to the Supporters’ Shield. Among other notable absences, Emiliano Martinez was left out of the squad by Scaloni, while Alejandro Garnacho, Marcos Acuna, Cristian Romero, and Paulo Dybala are all currently nursing various injuries.
Argentina have played 14 matches against their South American neighbors, winning 10 times and losing only twice.
Argentina vs Venezuela, 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier live streaming details
When will the Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match kick-off?
The Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match will kick off at 2:30 AM IST on October 11, Wednesday.
Where will the Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match take place?
The Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match will take place at the Estadio Monumental de Maturin in Maturin.
How to watch the Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match?
The Argentina vs Venezuela FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match will not be telecasted in India. Live streaming of the match will be available on Fancode.
Argentina vs Venezuela, Predicted Playing XIs
Argentina’s predicted XI: Rulli (GK); Acuna, Otamendi, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, E. Fernandez, Lo Celso; Messi, La. Martinez, J. Alvarez
Venezuela’s predicted XI: Romo (GK); A. Gonzalez, Osorio, Ferraresi, Navarro; Savarino, J. Martinez, Casseres, Herrera, Soteldo; Rondon
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