Buenos Aires will begin Argentina’s first international window without Lionel Messi with a Río de la Plata meeting at Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera, followed four days later by a trip inland to Córdoba to face Costa Rica.
Key takeaways
- Argentina will play Uruguay on 13 November in Buenos Aires, with La Bombonera the intended venue.
- The Estadio Único de La Plata remains an alternative while renovation work continues there.
- Costa Rica will be Argentina’s second November opponent, with the match set for 17 November at Córdoba’s Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium.
- The fixtures open a new Albiceleste chapter after Messi’s retirement from international football.
- Argentina last beat Uruguay 1-0 in Montevideo in the 2025 qualifiers, through Thiago Almada’s goal.
A familiar rivalry in a changed Argentina
The Uruguay match brings one of South American football’s oldest pairings back to the Argentine capital, but with a markedly different backdrop. The absence of Messi ends an era in which the former captain was both the side’s leading figure and a central dressing-room presence.
La Bombonera is scheduled to host the contest on 13 November. Should the venue plan change, the Estadio Único de La Plata has been considered, although its refurbishment has not yet been completed.
The neighbouring nations most recently met in the 2025 World Cup qualifying campaign. Argentina left Montevideo with a 1-0 win, Almada deciding the match.
Córdoba return for Costa Rica
Four days after facing Uruguay, Argentina are due to meet Costa Rica at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium on 17 November. It will take the national side back to Córdoba, where they recently recorded a victory over Bolivia.
Messi’s final appearance for Argentina came on 6 October in a friendly against Benin. He scored once and supplied two assists in a 3-0 victory, before receiving a drone-show tribute after the final whistle.
Addressing the occasion, Messi thanked supporters for the historic journey he had shared with the national team. November now offers Argentina its first official opportunity to move forward without its long-serving number 10.
