Lionel Messi will captain Argentina at a sixth World Cup, and he has been clear there won't be a seventh.

That turns every match from here into a farewell lap, so Sportsbet has built a full slate of markets around it.

Below is every way punters can get on the last dance, from tournament specials against Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar to the props that fire on every Argentina game day.

To celebrate the momentous occasion that is the 2026 World Cup, Sportsbet is bringing back its exclusive Super Sub feature! How does Super Sub work? Well, it's very simple. Place a bet on select player markets throughout the 2026 Men's World Cup and if that player is subbed off your bet rolls over to the new player that replaced them.

For example, if you've bet on Kylian Mbappe to score during one of France's matches and during that match he fails to do so and is directly substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta who ends up scoring instead, your original bet on Mbappe is paid as a winner! 

Super Sub is not exclusive to goalscoring markets either, it also applies to anytime assist, player to win one or more fouls, shots on target and more, just make sure to read all the T&Cs before locking in your bet.

The Last Dance Is Officially On

Scaloni's squad is in and the captain's name is on it. A hamstring niggle at Inter Miami briefly set off alarms, but Messi trained through it and tucked away a penalty in the final warm-up win over Iceland, so the farewell tour is cleared for take-off.

He turns 39 mid-tournament and arrives as a reigning champion, with 17 Qatar winners back alongside him.

Argentina sit among the favourites once again, and a kind Group J draw against Algeria, Austria and Jordan should ease them into the knockout rounds.

Goal of the Tournament Winner

This is the romantic's market. You're picking the player who scores the goal officially crowned the best of the competition, and the award only gets handed out once the final is done.

Form matters less here than one flash of invention, which has been the Messi business model for two decades. His catalogue already includes the injury-time curler that sank Iran in 2014, so nobody needs convincing there's one more gallery piece in that left boot.

Every recognised scorer gets a price, so treat it as a small-stakes flutter, settled by a single moment.

Check out our Goal of the Tournament winner page and odds.

Messi vs Ronaldo: The Race for Most Goals

Two decades of arguments come down to one final scoreboard. This head-to-head special settles on who scores more across the whole tournament, and because both men are at their sixth and final World Cup, the rivalry genuinely ends here.

The fixtures give each a runway. Messi gets Algeria, Austria and Jordan, while Ronaldo's Portugal open against DR Congo before Uzbekistan and Colombia, and both remain first in line from the penalty spot, which does plenty of heavy lifting these days.

Ronaldo's qualifying red card costs him nothing here, since most of that ban was suspended and he is free for Portugal's opener. 

History still leans one way though: Messi has 13 World Cup goals to Ronaldo's eight, even if Ronaldo remains the only man to score at five different editions.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Most World Cup Goal Contributions

Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar: The Advance Furthest Special

This one tracks whose campaign lasts longest, and with the 48-team format adding a Round of 32, there are more rungs on the ladder than ever.

Here's the thing about Neymar. Ancelotti kept faith and named him in Brazil's 26, but the 34-year-old arrived in camp with a calf strain and has not pulled on the shirt since his knee gave way in late 2023. He may well miss the opener against Morocco, so he starts this race a step behind.

That leaves something close to Argentina against Portugal with a wounded wildcard attached. Both heavyweights are fancied to go deep, and the market rules on site spell out exactly how settlement works, so give them a read before diving in.

Will Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar Advance Furthest in the World Cup?

Backing Messi Match by Match

The specials run all tournament long, but the bread and butter sits on each individual fixture. Four player markets headline every Argentina game day.

Anytime Goalscorer

The simplest of the lot: Messi scores at any point and the bet lands. With 13 goals from a record 26 World Cup appearances, he is the natural starting point whenever Argentina are expected to dominate the ball, which should be most matchdays in this group.

First Goalscorer

A spicier version of the same idea, because here Messi must break the deadlock rather than simply get on the scoresheet. The odds run longer as a result, and his penalty duties boost his claim whenever Argentina win an early spot kick.

To Score Two or More Goals

Messi braces are rare at this level, but they exist. He bagged two against Nigeria in 2014 and two more in the Qatar final, so the price stretches accordingly and the angle suits games where Argentina are heavy favourites chasing goal difference.

To Score a Hat-Trick

The one box he has never ticked. Across five tournaments, Messi has never scored a World Cup hat-trick, making this the true roughie of the player props. If the farewell script ever calls for one, a group game against Jordan reads like the audition.

Assist, shots on target and fouls-won props run on every fixture too, and plenty sit inside Super Sub, so check the eligible list before locking anything in.

When Argentina Play: AEST Kick-Off Times

Every match of the tournament is free-to-air in Australia on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand, and Messi's group schedule is unusually kind to local body clocks.

Argentina open against Algeria in Kansas City on Wednesday 17 June at 11:00am AEST, ideal viewing for a long lunch.

The Austria clash lands at 3:00am AEST on Tuesday 23 June, one for the night owls, before the group wraps against Jordan at 12:00pm AEST on Sunday 28 June.

Two of three in daylight hours is about as good as a North American tournament gets for Australian fans.