Argentina begin the post-Lionel Messi era with a fascinating friendly against new-look Uruguay on Friday in Buenos Aires.

Messi has called time on his legendary career for Argentina, as he took to the field for the Albiceleste for the final time last month. Now it’s all about how Lionel Scaloni (who has recently signed a new contract until 2030) and Argentina can create a new identity without Messi as they aim to reach a third-straight World Cup final with a wave of talented youngsters leading the charge.

It’s all change for Uruguay too, with legendary striker Diego Forlan now in charge after Marcelo Bielsa stepped down following a very disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign. Uruguay struggled mightily in the summer and were knocked out at the group stage after picking up just two points from three games.

How to watch Argentina vs Uruguay live, stream link and start time

Kick off time: 6pm ET Friday (November 13)
Venue: La Bombonera — Buenos Aires, Argentina
TV Channel/Stream link: ViX

Argentina team news

The likes of Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez are the players tasked with stepping up collectively in big moments to make the difference and fill the huge void left by Messi’s departure. There are plenty of new players around and it will be intriguing to see how Argentina change as a team without Messi.

Uruguay team news

Forlan is in charge of Uruguay now and it has been an okay start with a defeat against Japan followed up by wins against South Korea and India in his first three games in charge. There is a lot of experience in this Uruguay team and through the spine of the team Jose Gimenez, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur and Darwin Nunez will all be expected to lead this new cycle.

Argentina vs Uruguay prediction

This will be a fun game and it feels like Uruguay will hang in there, but Argentina will have a little too much off the bench in attack. Argentina 3-2 Uruguay.