Lionel Messi leads Argentina with a brace in 3-0 win over Venezuela in 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Lionel Messi starred for Argentina with a brace as the team cruised to a 3-0 win over Venezuela in Matchday 17 of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers at the Estadio Monumental.
Lionel Messi guided Argentina to victory with a brace in a 3-0 triumph over Venezuela at the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, during a memorable night at the Estadio Monumentalāwhat could be the No. 10ās final home match in World Cup qualifying.
Messi had announced days earlier that this would be his last qualifiers match in Argentina, making the occasion particularly special in Buenos Aires. From the moment he began warming up, the crowd showed their admiration, and Messi was visibly emotional, with tears in his eyes during pre-match drills.
The match unfolded largely as expected, with Argentina dominating possession. Venezuela remained defensively solid, but Messi broke the deadlock in the 39th minute with a brilliant finish following a well-crafted move from JuliĆ”n Ćlvarez.
The second half was a near-monologue for Lionel Scaloniās side, as they controlled the ball and limited Venezuelaās opportunities. In the 76th minute, Lautaro MartĆnez extended Argentinaās lead, and four minutes later, Messi capped the win with his second goal of the night, closing a dream night for both him and Argentine fans.
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Thanks for joining us!
Argentina crushed Venezuela 3-0 at the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and you lived every moment of this game here.
Thanks for staying with us, see you next time!
END OF THE GAME! (3-0)
Argentina beat Venezuela with a brace from Messi and one goal from Lautaro MartĆnez.
80'- GOAAAAAAAAAAAAL FOR ARGENTINA!! (3-0)
Lionel Messi strikes again to extend Argentina's lead over Venezuela!
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75'- GOAAAAAAAL FOR ARGENTINA (2-0)
Lautaro MartĆnez finds the back of the net immediately after coming on, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead.
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73'- Two substitutions in Argentina
Leandro Paredes and Julian Alvarez leave the field to make way for Lautaro Martinez and Exequiel Palacios.
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65'- Argentina amazingly miss their second goal! (1-0)
Thiago Almada incredibly fails to double Argentinaās lead after a misfired shot inside Venezuelaās box.
63'- First yellow card for Argentina (1-0)
Cristian Romero picked up the yellow after a foul on Josef MartĆnez and will sit out Argentinaās upcoming match against Ecuador due to card accumulation.
62'- Substitution in Argentina (1-0)
Franco Mastantuono leaves the field to make way for Nico Gonzalez.
61'- Messi almost scores the second one! (1-0)
Messi nearly doubles Argentinaās lead inside the box, but Romo makes a stunning save for Venezuela.
60'- Second yellow card of the game
Jon Aramburu of Venezuela received the second yellow card of the game after fouling Julian Alvarez.
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55'- Two substitutions in Venezuela (1-0)
Salomon Rondon and Miguel Navarro left the field to make way for Jefferson Soteldo and Josef Martinez.
54'- Argentina very active at the start of the second half (1-0)
Lionel Scaloniās side came out determined to score a second goal, putting persistent pressure on Venezuelaās defense.
45'- First substitution of the game (1-0)
Tomas Rincon left the field in Venezuela to make way for Jorge Yriarte.
Second half underway!
The game is on again!
End of the first half! (1-0)
The game goes to halftime with Argentina leading the score 1-0 over Venezuela.
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47'- Almada almost with the second goal! (1-0)
Thiago Almada comes close to scoring Argentinaās second goal with a powerful shot from outside the box, but Romo makes a key save for Venezuela.
39'- GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL FOR ARGENTINA! (1-0)
After a brilliant build-up by Ćlvarez, Lionel Messi opened the scoring with an incredible finish!
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36'- A tightly contested first half (0-0)
After a strong start from Argentina, Venezuela settled in defensively, and the match is now balanced, despite the visitors doing little in attack.
26'- Messi with his first shot! (0-0)
The Argentine captain received a pass from Alvarez and unleashed a left-footed strike from outside the box, but Romo handled it comfortably.
16'- First yellow card of the game (0-0)
CƔsseres from Venezuela received the first yellow card of the game after fouling De Paul.
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14'- Venezuela hold off Argentinaās attacks (0-0)
After a strong start from the hosts, Venezuela manage to keep more of the ball and string together passes in the attacking half. Still, whenever Argentina regain possession, they waste no time pushing forward toward Romoās goal.
4'- Argentina goal disallowed! (0-0)
Cristian Romero appeared to score the opener off a corner, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
3'- Argentina with the first chance! (0-0)
After a great team move, JuliƔn Alvarez fired a shot that Romo turned away for a corner.
GAME ON!
Argentina and Venezuela have kicked off the Matchday 17 of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers!
Players are on the field!
Players from both countries are on the field for the national anthems. Everything is ready for the start of the match.
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Track record between Argentina and Venezuela
The head-to-head record between the two teams is heavily tilted in Argentinaās favor. Out of 28 meetings, Argentina has won 23, Venezuela has claimed just 2 victories, and the sides have drawn 3 times.
Their most recent matchup came on October 10, 2024, during World Cup qualifying in Venezuela, where the game ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from Nicolas Otamendi and Salomon Rondon.
Venezuela's lineup confirmed!
Venezuela's starting lineup against Argentina will be:
Rafael Romo; Jon Aramburu, Nahuel Ferraresi, Wilker Ćngel, Miguel Navarro; Cristian Casseres, Christian Makoun; Eduard Bello, Tomas Rincon, Jefferson Savarino; Salomon Rondon.
Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Franco Mastantuono; Lionel Messi, Thiago Almada, Julian Alvarez.
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Is Lionel Messi playing for Argentina?
Despite the physical toll from Inter Miamiās 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the 2025 Leagues Cup, head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Lionel Messi will start tonight in what could be his final World Cup qualifier in Argentina.
Todayās referee
Chilean referee Piero Maza will officiate today's clash between Argentina and Venezuela. The last match that Maza officiated involving Argentina was in the Copa America 2024 semifinal, where Lionel Messiās team defeated Canada 2-0 in New Jersey.
The full officiating team for today's game:
Referee: Piero Maza (CHL)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia (CHL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal (CHL)
Fourth Official: Jose Cabero (CHL)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHL)
Assistant VAR (AVAR): Edson Cisternas (CHL)
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Kick off time and where to watch
The clash between Argentina and Venezuela for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers will kick off at 7:30 PM (ET).
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, with a specialization in soccer, the NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he first established himself as a writer. Throughout his career, Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like the French Open. His ability to report on real-time events and perform well under pressure has made him a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, where he now covers a wide range of sports, including European soccer, MLS, and the NBA.
