Lionel Messi signed off in style by scoring twice in his final World Cup qualifier on home soil as Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 on Thursday, while Paraguay and Colombia also secured berths at the 2026 tournament in North America, Reuters reported.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has not given an indication as to when he plans to retire but the 38-year-old has said that the match against Venezuela would be his last World Cup qualifier at home.

The reigning World Cup champions, who have already qualified for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, creating chances through Nicolas Tagliafico and Franco Mastantuono only to be thwarted by Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo.

Messi broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, the Argentine captain latching onto a pass from Julian Alvarez on a swift counter-attack and firing home into the top-right corner of Romo's net, according to Reuters.