Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Lionel Messi bringing eyes of the soccer world to Auburn: What you need to know
Reading time: 5 minutes
Jordan-Hare Stadium is no stranger to some of the biggest moments in college football like the Kick Six and the Prayer at Jordan-Hare.
It’s been home to three Heisman Trophy winners including Bo Jackson, Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson.
But the stadium will soon hit a new level of international fame. Auburn will host the biggest name in the sports world as Lionel Messi and the Argentina national soccer team comes to The Plains for a World Cup tune-up match against Iceland.
“Soccer fans will understand what Lionel Messi means to the game. Whoever your favorite soccer player is, Lionel Messi is their favorite soccer player. He is Wayne Gretzky meets Michael Jordan, meets Babe Ruth, all combined into one. And this is the greatest of all time in their sport. If you’re a sport fan, you can appreciate what that significance means when you’re able to see an athlete that has dominated their sport.”
Jamie Watson, RoadTo26
Here’s what you need to know:
- Who: Argentina vs. Iceland
- When: Tuesday, June 9 | 7:30PM
- Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium | Auburn, AL
- Watch: TBA
- More info
Keep reading to learn more about why this event is such a big deal to the soccer community in our state + Auburn University.
Who is Lionel Messi?
If you’re already a big soccer fan, you can skip this section but for those wanting to know exactly why this game is such a big deal, look no further than the name Lionel Messi.
Messi is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, cementing that status even more after leading Argentina to winning the World Cup in 2022.
If you care about sport, if you care about soccer, if you care about being able to see a living legend, an icon that I’m not sure anybody will ever be able to surpass. This is your opportunity.
Jamie Watson, RoadTo26
The 38-year-old’s success is not just at the international level though, building his fanbase through 17 seasons with Barcelona. His career accolades have included:
- 8x Ballon d’Or (Annually awarded to world’s best soccer player)
- 4x Champions League
- 10x La Liga (Spain)
- 2x Ligue 1 (France)
- 2x Copa America
- 2022 World Cup
- 2025 MLS Cup
“I just think this is a special opportunity to see greatness before greatness is gone at the international level. Father Time’s undefeated. I wish (Messi) could play forever because he’s brought me a lot of happiness watching him play. But I think there’ll be a level of gratitude and appreciation for his greatness that I’ll be able to see with my own two eyes before it turns into social media clips and highlights that you just have to say, remember when.”
Jamie Watson
This could be Messi’s final World Cup run and the match in Auburn provides fans to see him play in what is likely one of his final international games—without having to pay World Cup ticket prices.
Why did RoadTo26 choose Auburn?
The 2026 Men’s World Cup features 48 national teams playing across the country this summer and nearly all of them will be playing in friendlies, or exhibitions, in the week leading up to the competition’s first official matches.
Argentina will play a pair of matches, both of them in SEC football stadiums.
After playing at Texas A&M, the team will head to The Plains for its match against Iceland.
“To have the reigning FIFA World Cup champions choose Auburn as the site of their last match before defending their title represents a tremendous achievement and an incredible opportunity for Auburn Athletics and Auburn University. This exhibition between Argentina and Iceland will bring worldwide attention and exposure to Auburn and our community.”
Auburn athletics director John Cohen
For Jamie Watson, soccer analyst and RoadTo26 spokesperson, the choice was not surprising.
“On a national landscape, it’s well known just how daunting of a place it can be. If you’re Argentina, you want to play in those daunting environments where you have 87,000 people. You also want to be the first in the 87-year history of the stadium to be the 1st soccer match that’s played there. So it’s a really cool preparation for Argentina.”
Jamie Watson
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2026 Men’s World Cup
Argentina is the defending World Cup champion but things can change drastically four years later. But the team still has much of its core expected to be on manager Lionel Scaloni’s roster.
According to DraftKings, Argentina has the fifth best odds to win the World Cup this summer. They are looking to become the first repeat champion since Brazil won back-to-back titles in 1958-62.
“They’re on the cusp of starting their defense of a World Cup title. And they can choose anywhere, any stadium, any city in the world, and anybody’s gonna say, absolutely, let’s roll out the red carpet for you to be, or what does it take to get you here? One week before you start the World Cup. And Argentina chose (Jordan-Hare) Stadium.”
Jamie Watson
The match will also be a great opportunity to get into soccer mode for the World Cup. The United States is hosting the world’s biggest sporting event for the first time since 1994.
Even if you’re not able to make one of the competitive matches, there will be plenty of hype surrounding the tournament including local watch parties across the state (specifically your local American Outlaws chapter).
