With Messi back, Argentina hosts Colombia in the Qualifiers: time, lineups, and TV.

The Argentine national team hosts Colombia, with Messi returning, at the Monumental stadium starting at 9 p.m. for the 16th matchday of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers . If the national team defeats the Colombian team, who arrives surrounded by controversy, it will leave them with significant uncertainties regarding their World Cup qualification.

Lionel Messi

Felipe Zanca/Photosport

The national team led by Lionel Scaloni is the absolute leader: they managed to obtain the ticket to the ecumenical event against Brazil, they come from beating Chile 1-0 and will have the return of Lionel Messi as a starter , who entered in the second half in the victory against the Trans-Andeans.

The Albiceleste have secured first place, with 34 points and a ten-point lead over Ecuador and Paraguay, their closest rivals, with nine points remaining. The team, led tactically by Néstor Lorenzo , is in sixth place, currently the last team with direct qualification for the World Cup.

The last clash between the two took place in Barranquilla, where the Argentine national team lost 2-1 in the qualifiers. Now they will seek revenge and try to emulate the time they beat the Cafeteros in the 2024 Copa América final in the United States by the narrowest margin, to lift the trophy and become two-time champions.

The Albiceleste arrives with their hearts pumped up and their pace strong. They're coming off a 1-0 victory over Uruguay at the Centenario Stadium with a stunning goal from Thiago Almada, and, as if that weren't enough, they thrashed Brazil 4-1 in a true exhibition of football. They also beat Chile 1-0 in their last match, practically eliminating them from the World Cup.

It's worth noting that for these two matches, Scaloni included several names from Argentine football in the squad, such as Kevin Lomónaco, Mariano Troilo, and the young Franco Mastantuono, who was the only one to make his debut against the Chileans and has already logged minutes defending the Albiceleste.

These calls were made due to the several absences due to accumulated yellow cards for Nicolás Otamendi, Leandro Paredes, and Enzo Fernández. Nicolás González, like the three mentioned above, could return after his two-match suspension for the red card against Uruguay.

On the other hand, Nicolás Tagliafico is forced out after receiving his second yellow card against Chile, and Valentín Barco is starting to take his place. The former Boca Juniors player could win the battle against Facundo Medina.

Finally, we'll have to wait to see the fitness of Lautaro Martínez, who reached his limit after the Champions League final and didn't play against Chile. Julián Álvarez is expected to start whether or not El Toro is available. If the Inter striker is unable to play, Nico González would win the fight to complete the trident alongside Messi.

For its part, Colombia is close to achieving its goal of playing in the 2026 World Cup after missing out on Qatar 2022, but they mustn't slow down as they still have a chance of even missing out. The Cafeteros have not won in five matches and are coming off a 1-1 draw with Peru, and therefore face the possibility of not getting what they are looking for.

Néstor Lorenzo's team currently sits in sixth place, at the bottom of the standings, with 21 points, just three points ahead of Venezuela, which is in the playoffs.

There are only three matches left on their schedule: Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela , so they will be three key, and even direct, clashes.

It's worth noting that the Colombian team arrives embroiled in a scandal. Jhon Durán allegedly engaged in a violent incident in the locker room after the draw with Peru, where he confronted the coaching staff, including Néstor Lorenzo, and several teammates, including James Rodríguez, intervened to calm the tension. He was later dismissed.

It all began when, after the match, the forward burst into the locker room, insulting and agitated, which caused confusion among his teammates. In this context, the coach approached him with the intention of calming him down, but far from decompressing, this actually escalated the conflict. According to the same journalist, the Al-Nassr player lunged at the coach and grabbed him by the clothes in an act of disorder that caused alarm.

Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Valentin Barco or Facundo Medina; Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez or Nicolas Gonzalez. Coach: Lionel Scaloni.

Kevin Mier; Daniel Muñoz, Yerry Mina, Dávinson Sánchez, Cristian Borja; Kevin Castaño, Jefferson Lerma; John Arias, James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz; Luis Suárez. Coach: Néstor Lorenzo.

• Time: 9:00 p.m.
• TV: TyC Sports
• Referee: Juan Benítez (PAR)
• VAR: Derlis López (PAR)
• AVAR: Carlos Paul Benítez (PAR)
• Stadium: Monumental Stadium