World champions Argentina will play Guatemala in a friendly to replace the cancelled Finalissima match against European champions Spain in Qatar, which fell foul to the Middle East war.
Lionel Messi's Argentina, who are also the Copa América holders, had been set to face Spain in Doha on March 27.
But due to the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28 against Iran, organisers looked for a new location or date.
UEFA said on Sunday that it had been forced to cancel the match as Argentina had rejected all its proposals.
A day later, Spain announced they would play Serbia in a friendly on March 27 in Villarreal instead.
Now Argentina have announced their own alternative friendly fixture against the Central Americans in Buenos Aires on March 31.
"Following the cancellation of the Finalissima, [coach] Lionel Scaloni’s side will travel to the country for a week of intensive team training and to play a friendly match on Tuesday 31st against Guatemala," AFA, the Argentine Football Association, said.
It added that it would provide details “in the coming days” regarding the training schedule, squad selection and stadium where the match will be played, which would mark the world champions’ farewell to their home fans ahead of their title defence at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
"Argentina deserves to say goodbye at home. In the run-up to the World Cup, the excitement is building," wrote AFA president Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia on X, whose message received hundreds of negative responses regarding the choice of opponent.
Local press is reporting that La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors, as the stadium that would host the friendly. El Monumental, River Plate's ground and Argentina's normal home venue, has three AC/DC concerts scheduled, one of them taking place on March 31.
Argentina and Guatemala have faced each other twice during the Scaloni era, with victories for the Albiceleste in the Argentine manager’s debut in 2018 (3-0) and in 2024, ahead of the Copa América in the United States (4-1).
– TIMES/AFP
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