TThe Argentina national team arrived in Luanda on Thursday, November 13, to play against Angola as part of the final friendly of 2025 ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Lionel Scaloni’s side have had a fantastic year, dominating the Conmebol qualifiers and finishing top of the table with 38 points, nine points ahead of second-placed Ecuador.
In the last friendly match, the Argentina national team defeated Venezuela 1-0 and Puerto Rico 6-0, showing a high overall level led by Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami, who will be in the MLS conference semifinals.As they have played a considerable number of games recently, it is unclear whether they will be able to play in Africa.
Lionel Messi reminds us who is king with outrageous golasso during Argentina training
Argentina’s last game of the year: Will Lionel Messi play against Angola?
Manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Lionel Messi will take part in the trip to Africa to face Angola and will start alongside the other world champions on the pitch.
Messi is scheduled to play. I don’t know how many minutes it will take at first, but then we’ll see. but people will be able to see him
The world champion arrived in Luanda after a training camp in Alicante, Spain, and received lots of love from 20,000 fans at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Velero. Upon arriving in Africa, Scaloni gave details of the lineup for the World Cup warm-up matches:
We’ve played together a lot and it’s going to be a very reliable team. Many world champions will appear on the court and many can enjoy it
Lionel Scaloni talks about the importance of the friendly against Angola and the new players called up
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the friendly was a commitment that must be taken seriously and a test for players aiming to make the final list for the 2026 World Cup.
Many of our players are playing for the chance to be selected for the World Cup squad. We have nothing to give, so we will do our best to play a good match in our own way.
He also highlighted the addition of new players to replace recent departures, which could attract more talent from his home country, who could catch his eye and earn him future call-up spots. He also showed respect for his rivals, who have good quality players competing in Europe despite not qualifying for the World Cup.
The match is scheduled for Friday, November 14 at 11 a.m. ET at Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda and will be the last match of the year for the team as they prepare to defend the crown they won in Qatar against 48 countries at the 2026 World Cup.
