Fresh off their latest Copa America title, Argentina are back in competitive action to continue their charge towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they take on Chile in Buenos Aires.
The September international break brings the return of CONMEBOL qualifying for the big dance in two years' time, and unsurprisingly Argentina lead the standings through six games.
Unfortunately, the Albiceleste will be without Lionel Messi for this international break as he recovers from an ankle injury, but Lionel Scaloni's side showed they can win trophies without the legendary forward in the Copa America final.
Chile, meanwhile, are in a rut, sitting outside the expanded qualifying positions through the first six matches. They were also eliminated from the Copa America by North American upstarts Canada, indicating they have work to do to turn things around.
The Sporting News is following the Argentina vs. Chile match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Argentina vs. Chile live score Score (2H)Goal scorersArgentina1Mac Allister (48')Chile0–Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT
Location: Estadio Mas Monumental (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Starting lineups:
Argentina (4-3-3, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 2. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Li. Martinez — 7. De Paul, 20. Mac Allister, 14. E. Fernandez — 9. Alvarez, 22. La. Martinez, 15. N. Gonzalez (Lo Celso, 51').
Chile (4-3-3, right to left): 12. Arias (GK) — 4. Isla, 5. P. Diaz, 21. Catalan, 6. Galdames — 7. M. Nunez (Alcaron, 62'), 18. Echeverria, 15. Loyola — 8. Osorio, 11. E. Vargas, 10. Davila (Palacios, 62').
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Argentina vs. Chile live updates, highlights from World Cup qualifying66th min: It didn't take long for Argentina to regain control of the match, and Paulo Diaz is booked for a foul in midfield.
60th min: Chile have finally managed to get themselves on the ball a bit more, and they're pressuring the Argentina back line for the first time in the match. They've won a corner, but not before a pair of players enter. Carlos Palacios and Williams Alcaron come on for Victor Davila and Marcelino Nunez.
Ricardo Gareca withdraws his two booked players.
55th min: Argentina have looked to take the air out of the ball with possession, and they've managed to keep it away from Chile.
51st min: Nico Gonzalez has exited for Gio Lo Celso, as it appears the Argentina winger has taken a bit of a knock.
48th min: GOAL! ARGENTINA! There's the opener, as Alexis Mac Allister arrives late to a rebound and smashes it into the back of the net! It's been coming for a while, as Chile have just not been able to get out of their own third.
A brilliant dummy by Lautaro Martinez makes it happen, as he lets a cross by Julian Alvarez go through his legs right to Mac Allister charging at full speed.
2nd half kickoff: They're back under way in Buenos Aires, with no changes for either side.
HALFTIME: Argentina 0-0 Chile
Argentina utterly dominated the entire first half, pummeling the Chile back line but failing to create many clear-cut chances. They were very nearly punished for their lack of offensive output, as Chile came so close to scoring the opener out of nothing just before halftime.
Chile have tried to waste as much time as humanly possible each and every stoppage by surrounding the official and arguing absolutely everything, which only served to get the referee absurdly angry.
45+1 min: Chance, Chile! CHILE HIT THE POST OUT OF ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! A speculative ball into the penalty area finds the head of Matias Catalan, who for some reason is up near the front of the attack. He out-jumps a completely unaware Nicolas Otamendi and heads across the face of goal, beating Emi Martinez but also beating the woodwork! SO close to a shock opener!
41st min: The referee has, very emphatically, had enough of Chile's antics. Marcelo Nunez and Victor Davila are both booked for dissent after the entire team surrounds the official following a tackle on the touchline. He very vigorously gestures for the team to disperse and cut it out.
He is forced to come to the touchline and have a conversation with Chile head coach Ricardo Gareca to tell him his players have to calm down and get on with the match.
33rd min: Gabriel Arias comes out to punch away a cross, and levels Lautaro Martinez in the process. Crunch. Totally legal, though!
30th min: A yellow card is shown to Rodrigo De Paul as the two sides come together again. He is fairly booked for a tackle on Victor Davila, but there's no malice in the tackle, only the lateness of it. Still, Chilean players milk it for all the possible time, and waste as many seconds as humanly possible after the play pretending to be upset.
27th min: For the second time in this match, Nicolas Otamendi stops a one-on-one shot on target from reaching Emi Martinez with a last-second sliding block. He's been immense stopping counter-attacks thus far.
21st min: Chance, Argentina! Now Gabriel Arias is forced to work hard! A header by Nico Gonzalez off a corner is on target, but too close to the goalkeeper who once again gets down to make an important save!
19th min: Chance, Argentina! As we just said moments ago, the chances do begin to flow for Argentina! Rodrigo De Paul forces a big save from Gabriel Arias, who sees a shot from the Albiceleste midfielder sting his palms from the right.
18th min: This has been an onslaught of Argentina pressure so far, but they have yet to test the goalkeeper quite yet, as the Chile defense is maintaining an effective low block with large numbers. At this rate, however, the chances will come for the hosts if Chile cannot relieve the pressure.
10th min: A beautiful buildup by Argentina ends with Julian Alvarez deftly laying off to Rodrigo De Paul for a looped shot on goal, but it's just barely clipped out of play by the head of Matias Catalan before it can reach Gabriel Arias's goal.
6th min: An early scuffle! The players converge as Cristian Romero gives Victor Davila a bit of a shove in the back. Watching the replay, there's absolutely nothing in that, and it's unclear why the Chile players were so furious about that foul. Just all so unnecessary, let's get on with the match.
2nd min: Argentina have to do some early defending as a critical tackle from Nicolas Otamendi stops an early Chile break at the top of the penalty area.
Interestingly, this is not a back-three formation for Lionel Scaloni. Instead, Lisandro Martinez is playing a straight-up left-back position, which is very unusual for a player who's primarily played center-back in his career. According to Transfermarkt, Lisandro has played left-back just 13 total times in his career at the club level, and once since 2020.
Kickoff: They're under way at Estadio Mas Monumental! A teary-eyed Angel Di Maria in the stands, and a quarter of the stadium capacity banned, this World Cup qualifying match has kicked off.
Argentina vs. Chile: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more15 mins to kickoff: FINALLY, just 15 minutes before kickoff, we have access to the official lineups. We already had access to Argentina's experimental lineup early, but there's a wrinkle for Chile as well. It's no surprise that veteran Eduardo Vargas starts, but that he does so in place of Ben Brereton Diaz is interesting.
Head coach Ricardo Gareca has chosen to go with a pair of inexperienced defenders in Matias Catalan and Thomas Galdames, who have combined for eight international caps between them. Meanwhile, there's another inexperienced player in midfield as Felipe Loyola slots into the XI, with Vargas as the lone striker up front.
30 mins to kickoff: There is currently a tribute taking place at Estadio Mas Monumental to recognize the now-retired Angel Di Maria. "Fideo" made 145 international appearances, scoring 31 goals including the famous winner in the 2021 Copa America final vs. Brazil that helped Lionel Messi secure his first major international title.
Messi, fittingly, recorded a message that has been played over the video board in the stadium. "I hope you enjoy this evening a lot with your family and loved ones. We’ve said everything we needed to say. We shared so much, and who would have thought it would end this way? We’ll miss you a lot."
Messi finished his message by saying "see you soon." Is that possibly a hint at retirement in the near future?
❤️ Messi's message to Di Maria:
"I hope you enjoy this evening a lot with your family and loved ones. We’ve said everything we needed to say. We shared so much, and who would have thought it would end this way? We’ll miss you a lot. See you soon." ????
pic.twitter.com/d5BjV36hnv
45 mins to kickoff: The stadium today will be at just 75% capacity, a sanction handed down by CONMEBOL for racist and discriminatory chanting by Argentina fans in previous matches against Uruguay and Ecuador. The ban represents a reduction of about 20,000 seats.
According to Gaston Edul, if the chanting is repeated tonight, FIFA and CONMEBOL are prepared to issue a full-capacity ban for a future Argentina match.
1 hour to kickoff: We're still waiting for official lineups, but there's word that Nicolas Otamendi will unsurprisingly captain Argentina in the absence of Lionel Messi. It will be the veteran defender's 118th international cap, and his fifth time wearing the armband for the international side.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: There's a festive atmosphere outside Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires ahead of tonight's match!
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) September 5, 20241 hour 30 mins to kick: Chile are looking to usher in a transition away from the old guard and into a new era of talent. To help with that, veteran right-back Mauricio Isla has reportedly been chosen to captain the side tonight, which will be the 36-year-old's 143rd international cap.
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Reporting around Argentina's starting lineup suggests they will experiment with a three-center-back system, as Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, and Lisandro Martinez are all set to start. It's an interesting tactical wrinkle from Lionel Scaloni who hasn't been afraid to tinker with his system, but usually that experimentation comes in friendlies, not World Cup qualifiers.
???? Argentina XI vs. Chile: Emiliano Martínez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Lisandro; De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Julián, Lautaro and Nico González. Via @gastonedul. ???????? pic.twitter.com/PsjsvsMsQB
— Mundo Albiceleste ⭐????⭐???????? (@MundoAlbicelest) September 5, 20242 hours to kickoff: With Lionel Messi sidelined for this international break, Paulo Dybala has reportedly selected to wear the legend's No. 10 shirt. International numbers are redistributed each break, and while players often retain the same number, occasionally they can switch out depending on individual availability.
Argentina vs. Chile kickoff timeThis CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying match kicks off from the Estadio Mas Monumental on Thursday, September 5 at 9 p.m. local time in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
DateKickoff timeUSA/CanadaThu, Sep. 58 p.m. ETUSA/CanadaThu, Sep. 55 p.m. PTUKFri, Sep. 61 a.m. BSTAustraliaFri, Sep. 610 a.m. AESTIndiaFri, Sep. 65:30 a.m. ISTCONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standingsPos.TeamGPPointsW-D-LGoal Diff.GF-GA1.Argentina6155-0-1+68-22.Uruguay6134-1-1+813-53.Colombia6123-3-0+36-34.Venezuela692-3-1+36-35.Ecuador*683-2-1+25-36.Brazil672-3-1+18-77.Paraguay651-2-3-21-38.Chile651-2-3-43-79.Bolivia631-0-5-104-1410.Peru620-2-4-71-8* Ecuador were docked 3 points as punishment for falsification of documents regarding eligibility of Byron Castillo
Argentina vs. Chile lineups, team news, starting 11Lionel Messi is not on the Argentina roster as he recovers from his ankle injury suffered in the Copa America final. Another regular withdrawn from the squad due to injury is Nicolas Tagliafico who was replaced on the roster by Marcos Acuna, and Leonardo Balerdi was called in but had to be replaced by Paulo Dybala after an injury.
Angel Di Maria retired from international duty after the Copa America, and goalkeeper Franco Armani did the same just days ago at 37 years old.
Argentina projected starting lineup (3-5-2): E. Martinez (GK) — Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Li. Martinez — De Paul, Mac Allister, E. Fernandez — Alvarez, La. Martinez, N. Gonzalez.
Argentina subs: Rulli (GK), Benitez (GK), Montiel, Pezzella, Acuna, G. Rodriguez, Paredes, Lo Celso, Castellanos, Dybala, Garnacho, Soule.
Experienced international Alexis Sanchez, now 35 years old, was not called up as Chile hope to move on from the aging forward. They have yet to do the same with 34-year-old Eduardo Vargas who remains in the squad for the time being.
Club America midfielder Diego Valdes was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury, as did Udinese youngster Damian Pizarro. His new club teammate, center-back Igor Lichnovsky, has torn his ACL and will be out for an extended period of time.
Two exciting youngsters, 21-year-old Colo Colo midfielder Vicente Pizarro (no relation to Damian) and 20-year-old former Colo Colo winger Dario Osorio were included in this roster.
Chile starting lineup (4-3-3): Arias (GK) — Isla, P. Diaz, Catalan, Galdames — M. Nunez, Echeverria, Loyola — Osorio, E. Vargas, Davila.
Chile subs: Vigouroux (GK), Cortes (GK), Alarcon, Baeza, Kuscevic, Maripan, Mena, Meneses, Palacios, Pavez, Pizarro, B. Diaz.
Argentina vs. Chile live stream, TV channel TV ChannelStreamingUSAUniversoFubo, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo, Universo NOW, ViXUKPremier Sports 1 —AustraliaSBSSBS On DemandCanada — —India — —Text
This match will be televised in the United States on Universo in Spanish only. That channel can be found on Fubo, who are offering a free seven day trial for new users. It can also be streamed in Spanish on ViX.
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