OFFICIAL: Messi plays friendly match against team weaker than Vietnam national team

Lionel Messi and his teammates in the Argentina national team jersey will play friendly matches against two representatives from Africa, and one of them even ranks below the Vietnam national team on the FIFA rankings.

After a series of controversies surrounding the Finalissima 2026 not being able to take place due to disagreements between parties, the Argentina national team had to urgently seek friendly opponents ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Ultimately, they chose Mauritania and Zambia, two national teams with significantly lower rankings on the FIFA table.

Specifically, the Zambia national team currently ranks 91st, while the Mauritania national team stands at position 115 on the FIFA rankings. Notably, the Mauritania national team even ranks below Vietnam, the national team that has made significant progress by rising 5 places to reach world rank 103. This improvement stems from Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team being awarded a 3-0 win against Malaysia, after the opponent was found to have falsified the naturalization documents of seven players in two matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The disparity is very clear when compared to Argentina, the team currently holding the second global position, just behind Spain, thereby continuing to affirm its status as a powerhouse after a convincing qualifying campaign.

These two matches are scheduled to take place on March 27th and 31st at Argentina's home stadium. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) arranged this series to give Coach Lionel Scaloni and his team an opportunity to thank fans before embarking on the 2026 World Cup journey. Simultaneously, this could also be a special occasion for Lionel Messi to bid farewell to the national team at home.

Nevertheless, the choice of opponents has drawn mixed opinions for La Albiceleste, as many believe these teams are not sufficiently competitive for a reigning world champion to test themselves. However, it should also be acknowledged that Messi and his teammates have already undergone qualifying in a region considered one of the toughest.

Meanwhile, the opportunity to face the reigning European champion in the Finalissima 2026 has officially closed.

The cause stems from the hosting location in Doha being eliminated due to security concerns. Subsequently, AFA, CONMEBOL, UEFA, and the Spanish Football Federation all wanted to host the match at home, rather than choosing a neutral venue, causing negotiations to stall. When no party could find common ground, the match had to be canceled, leading to many controversies, including statements from the CONMEBOL president regarding recognizing the Argentina national team as champion.