Who are Benin, Messi’s surprise final opponents?

Who are Benin? That is the question many football fans are asking as Argentina prepares for one of the most emotional nights of Lionel Messi’s international career.

On Wednesday at 5:00 a.m. Bangladesh time, Argentina will face Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. The match is officially a friendly, but emotionally, it could be much more than that. It is Messi’s final official appearance for the Argentine national team.

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While the spotlight will be firmly on Messi, there is also curiosity surrounding an unfamiliar opponent: Benin’s national team, the Cheetahs.

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For Benin, this is a historic opportunity. The West African nation performed well during qualification for the FIFA World Cup, and they have also made a promising start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Cheetahs collected four points from their opening two matches, drawing with Burkina Faso before defeating Mauritania 2-1. They have now suffered just one defeat in their last six matches, showing that they are arriving in Buenos Aires with growing confidence.

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But the challenge could hardly be bigger.

Argentina are ranked second in the FIFA World Rankings, while Benin sit 93rd — a difference of 91 places. On paper, the gap is enormous, and Argentina will enter the match expected to claim a comfortable victory.

Yet Benin have a reason to believe.

Their recent defensive improvement has given them greater stability, while their latest victory over Mauritania showed they can produce goals when opportunities arrive. They know Argentina possess a completely different level of attacking quality, but they also know that football can produce unexpected moments.

And then there is an intriguing connection between Benin and Messi.

Benin coach Gernot Rohr was in charge of Nigeria during the 2018 World Cup, when Argentina defeated Nigeria 2-1. Rohr kept one of Messi’s shirts from that tournament, hoping one day to get the Argentine superstar to sign it.

Messi never did. Now, years later, Rohr will be at the Monumental with another chance to complete that unfinished story.

For Argentina, this night is about Messi. For Benin, it is about testing themselves against the world champions and creating a memory that could last forever.