Lionel Messi came off the bench as Argentina, the World Cup champions, won 1-0 against Chile in a World Cup qualifying match Thursday night.

Argentina beat Chile 1-0 on Matchday 15 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thanks to a goal from Julian Alvarez in the first half.

Lionel Messi is back in the fold for Argentina this week as the reigning world champions, who have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, return to action against Chile.

Argentina defeated Chile at the National Stadium of Santiago, on the 15th date of the Conmebol Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The team led by Lionel

Argentina were dealt a major blow when Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card, leaving the hosts with ten men for a large portion of the match. Colombia capitalised on the numerical advantage early, taking the lead through Luis Diaz in the 24th minute.

Chile's World Cup dreams were dashed after a 2-0 loss to Bolivia, marking their absence from a third consecutive tournament. Ricardo Gareca resigned as head coach following the defeat, while Bolivia keeps alive its hopes for a playoff spot.

Chile will miss a third consecutive World Cup after losing 2-0 at Bolivia on Tuesday to remain last in South America's 10-team round-robin competition. Head coach Ricardo Gareca later said he he was standing down after his team’s failure.