Lionel Messi seemingly faulted the poor pitch for Argentina's frustrating draw with Venezuela in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday.

Lionel Messi blamed the conditions of the pitch Estadio Monumental de Maturín for Argentina's "ugly' 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday night in their first World Cup qualifier of the October international window.

CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying gets back underway in what has been a topsy turvy run so far for South American teams through eight rounds of play. Lionel Messi will return for Argentina with the team still in first place during qualifying but Colombia and Uruguay are hot on their heels.

On the same day, Hurricane Milton escalated into a Category 5 storm, casting doubt over the travel plans of Lionel Scaloni's team and the safety of the Argentina players. As thousands of Floridians evacuated their homes, La Albiceleste had to plot their own way out before Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm.

Chile, one of the worst-performing teams in South American qualifying, opened the scoring seconds after the kickoff at the National Stadium in Santiago

An 89th-minute goal by substitute Luiz Henrique gave Brazil a 2-1 away win over Chile on Thursday in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match. The win meant under-pressure Brazil coach Dorival Júnior's team will finish the ninth round of the round-robin competition in fourth place in South American qualifying.

Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday in Lionel Messi's return to international duty in the South America's World Cup qualifiers.

Argentina's national team will face Venezuela this Thursday in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. While Lionel Messi will be available for selection, coach Lionel Scaloni continues to receive bad news with the loss of several key players.