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

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

Despite the poor pitch conditions, Lionel Mess’s Argentina took the lead through Nicolas Otamendi before Salomon Rondon scored the equaliser for Venezuela in the second half.

Argentina are set to take on Venezuela away in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualification CONMEBOL Round 9 fixture, as La Albiceleste aim at solidifying their position on top of the table. The reigning South America and World Champions,

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.