Messi, Argentina reportedly to face Guatemala at Fedex Field

In the days before the 2024 Copa América, soccer fans could do much worse than visiting the Washington, D.C. region.

A Washington Post report says that Lionel Messi and Argentina will play a June 14 Copa América warm-up friendly against Guatemala at FedEx Field, located a few miles outside the capital in Landover, Md.

That match would come just six days after the U.S. men’s national team and Colombia square off at the same venue.

For Argentina, the match would serve as a final friendly before it begins its defense of a cathartic victory at the 2021 Copa América. Lionel Scaloni’s side will begin the 2024 tournament on June 20 with a Group A clash against either Canada or Trinidad and Tobago.

FIFA’s calendar includes a window that opens June 3 for international matches just ahead of the Copa América, though Argentina has yet to announce details for its pre-tournament plans.

Most recently, the Argentine federation has had to focus on finding opponents in the nearer-term. After Messi did not play in a preseason match between Inter Miami and a Hong Kong select 11, a major backlash ensued, with China eventually cancelling Argentina’s March games against Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Those friendlies had been set for Hangzhou and Beijing, respectively.

Officials: FedEx Field pitch meets FIFA regulations

Washington, D.C.’s 2026 World Cup bid was a high-profile failure, with public perception in the DMV region holding that the home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders was the main issue.

FedEx Field has received criticism from fans for years over its inaccessibility, the quality of its grass playing surface, and other in-stadium issues. However, at the press conference announcing the USMNT’s match against Colombia, Commanders officials and Gregg Berhalter both asserted that the venue will be satisfactory for friendlies.

“We are able to supply a FIFA-regulated field with removal of some seating locations, so we plan to do that for these games,” said Trista Langdon, the Commanders’ senior vice president of operations and guest experience. “[We will] continue to do that so we can attract these big competitive soccer games, so we’ll be ready and we’ll be able to meet the regulation field size.”

FedEx Field’s proposed dimensions as part of the D.C. World Cup bid fell within FIFA’s requirements for the tournament, though officials did not specify whether the modifications for the USMNT friendly would follow those exact plans.

“We know the D.C. area is very steeped in tradition in soccer,” added Berhalter. “And for us, it’s about the condition of the grass. We know it’s going to be in top condition. We know it’s a regulation field [size], so for us that’s good enough.”