Argentina play their final fixture of the calendar year on Friday when they visit Angola in an international friendly.
La Albiceleste continue their preparations for the defense of their World Cup crown by visiting the African minnows, and they will be expected to breeze past FIFA’s 89th-ranked national team. Argentina, who secured their place at next summer’s tournament all the way back in March, travel to Belas off the back of friendly victories over Venezuela and Puerto Rico in October.
Lionel Scaloni’s side had scheduled another friendly on Nov.17, taking on fellow World Cup qualifiers Australia in India, but the postponement of that fixture means Angola will be Argentina’s final test before the next international break in March of next year.
The two sides have only locked horns once previously, with Argentina triumphing 2–0 in a friendly back in 2006. Lionel Messi came off the bench in that clash and should feature in Friday’s encounter, making his 187th appearance for the national team. Scaloni himself was also a used substitute in the victory over Angola 19 years ago.
Angola, who have missed out on qualification to the World Cup in North America, will be fearing the worst against the world champions despite being unbeaten in their last three fixtures. Patrice Beaumelle, who was only appointed after the September break, has overseen draws with Eswatini and Cameroon to date, but is likely to be handed a first defeat on Friday.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the clash between Angola and Argentina.
Angola vs. Argentina Head-to-Head Record (All Time)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Angola
Argentina
Cameroon 0–0 Angola – 10/13/25
Puerto Rico 0–6 Argentina – 10/14/25
Eswatini 2–2 Angola – 10/8/25
Argentina 1–0 Venezuela – 10/10/25
Angola 3–1 Mauritius – 9/9/25
Ecuador 1–0 Argentina -9/9/25
Angola 0–1 Libya – 9/4/25
Argentina 3–0 Venezuela – 9/4/25
Angola 0–2 DR Congo – 8/14/25
Argentina 1–1 Colombia – 6/10/25
Country
TV channel/live stream
United States
Fanatiz USA, fuboTV, TyC Sports Internacional
United Kingdom
N/A
Canada
N/A
Mexico
N/A
Cagliari’s Zito Luvumbo will be among Angola’s starters. / Enrico Locci/Getty Images
Beaumelle has named a four-man defense for both his matches in charge of Angola and despite temptations to utilize a five-man rearguard to combat Argentina’s attacking muscle, the Frenchman might persist with the 4-4-2 he used against Eswatini.
AEK Athens forward Zini features in the squad despite a recent injury which has sidelined him since September, but will have to accept a place on the bench with in-form Al Ahli Tripoli forward Mabululu leading the line—potentially alongside Swansea City loanee Manuel Benson.
Goalkeeper Neblú is likely to be protected by Lyon’s Clinton Mata and Real Oviedo’s David Carmo among others in defense, while Cagliari’s Zito Luvumbo and Red Star Belgrade’s Milson could line up in the attacking wide areas.
Many of Angola’s squad play in top European leagues. / FotMob
Angola predicted lineup vs. Argentina (4-4-2): Neblú; Mata, Gaspar, Carmo, Carneiro; Luvumbo, Fredy, Beni, Milson; Benson, Mabululu.
Messi is among those traveling to Angola. / Rich Storry/Getty Images
Messi is among the Argentina stars who will face Angola on Friday, with the 38-year-old joined by the likes of Lautaro Martínez and Nicolás González in attack. Strasbourg’s Joaquín Panichelli and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni are surprise call-ups, with both potentially making senior debuts.
Enzo Fernández is a notable absentee in midfield as he battles a knee issue, but Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovanni Lo Celso are among the high-profile central midfielders included. Como’s starlet Nico Paz has earned another call-up after featuring twice in October, while Emiliano Buendía’s excellent recent form for Aston Villa has seen him included for the first time since 2022.
Buendía’s clubmate Emiliano Martínez is not among the goalkeepers selected as he’s handed a timely rest, while Atlético Madrid trio Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone and Julián Alvarez have all been forced to withdraw after failing to complete the necessary medical procedures to enter Angola regarding the yellow fever vaccination.
Kevin Mac Allister, brother of Alexis, has been called up as a result and could make his national team debut in a defense that also features the likes of Marcos Senesi, Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero.
A strong Argentina side could face Angola. / FotMob
Argentina predicted lineup vs. Angola (4-4-2): Rulli; Foyth, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Paz, De Paul, A. Mac Allister, González; Messi, Martínez.
Argentina fired six unanswered goals past Puerto Rico last month and while they will face sterner opposition in Angola, they will be expecting a similarly commanding victory in their final match of the year.
A strong lineup should start in Belas and will almost certainly saunter to victory providing they perform at even half of their usual standards, with Angola having suffered defeats to the likes of Libya, DR Congo and Cape Verde in 2025 already.
The African side don’t score many goals and will be hard pushed to find joy against a resilient Argentinian defense. At the other end, they could be in for a long 90 minutes.
Prediction: Angola 0–3 Argentina
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