The Argentine men’s national soccer team will play Guatemala at FedEx Field on June 14, organizers announced Monday, a deal that will bring superstar Lionel Messi to the D.C. area for the second time in a three-month span.
The Argentines will use the 8 p.m. friendly as a final tuneup for Copa América, the fabled South American tournament taking place at 14 U.S. venues from June 20 to July 14. Tickets for the friendly will go on sale to the general public March 4.
Argentina also will face Ecuador on June 9 in Chicago, which means La Albiceleste will play at least its next seven games at U.S. venues: friendlies against El Salvador on March 22 in Philadelphia and Nigeria on March 26 in Los Angeles, the two friendlies in June, and the Copa América group stage in Atlanta; East Rutherford, N.J.; and Miami Gardens, Fla. Argentina could play up to three games in the knockout stage of the tournament as well.
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The match at FedEx Field will come six days after the U.S. men’s team visits the Landover venue to face Colombia in a pre-Copa test.
Messi, the eight-time world player of the year, is also scheduled to visit the D.C. area March 16 for Inter Miami’s MLS match against D.C. United at Audi Field.
He was part of the Argentine squad paired with El Salvador for a 2015 friendly at FedEx Field but did not play because of a foot injury. The game drew 53,978.
There is no certainty the 36-year-old forward will play against Guatemala; his absence from a Miami friendly in Hong Kong this month created a political stir and led to two March friendlies in China being canceled. But with Argentina opening defense of its Copa América title six days later, he seems almost certain to play at least a portion of the friendly.
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Copa América is widely considered the third-most-important international tournament behind the World Cup and the European Championship. Messi was part of a Copa championship team for the first time in 2021 — 17 months before his World Cup drought ended in Qatar.
Guatemala did not qualify for Copa América, which in addition to 10 teams from the South American confederation will include six from the region encompassing North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Argentina is No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings; Guatemala is No. 108.
To accommodate international soccer, which requires a wider playing surface than football, Washington Commanders officials said they will remove some seats at FedEx Field.
“We plan to do that for these games and continue to do that so we can attract these big, competitive soccer games,” said Trista Langdon, the Commanders’ senior vice president for operations and guest experience. “So we’ll be ready.”
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U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter said he was told by organizers that the field will measure 70 yards wide — four yards narrower than FIFA recommends but within international guidelines. The size of football stadiums will force most U.S. venues selected as 2026 World Cup hosts to remove seats or build a platform.
Washington was a candidate to host 2026 World Cup matches, but after FedEx Field received poor reviews from FIFA, the city merged its bid with Baltimore in hope of bringing games to M&T Bank Stadium. The regional effort failed.
Neither Washington nor Baltimore was selected for Copa América, either, but FedEx Field became a prime candidate to host pretournament matches because of its location.
To avoid undermining ticket sales, tournament regulations say organizers can prohibit pre-Copa friendlies within 93 miles (150 kilometers) of a Copa venue. MetLife Stadium is the closest tournament location to Landover.
The U.S. team was reportedly aiming to play Brazil on June 12 in Orlando, but that city is a Copa América venue. Brazil remains in the U.S. plans, but it is unclear whether tournament officials will force the match to be played elsewhere.
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