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Argentina were forced into a hasty rescheduling of their plans for the March international break.
Lionel Messi and co. were set to face Spain in the latest edition of FIFA's Finalissima showdown between the champions of South America and Europe.
However, the game was scheduled to take place in Qatar, and the Middle Eastern nation was unable to provide security assurances. The United States and Israel's bombing campaign against Iran prompted retaliatory strikes, with Qatar among the countries targeted.
Aside from playing Spain, Argentina were due to play Qatar at Lusail Stadium, a match that is obviously also unable to take place.
On March 17, Argentina initially revealed that they had scheduled a friendly against Guatemala, with the match to be played on March 31 at La Bombonera, the home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires.
However, that match was quickly nixed due to FIFA rules, which stipulate that national teams cannot play matches on two different continents in the same international window. With Guatemala set to play another friendly on March 27 against Algeria in Italy, they were not allowed to travel across the Atlantic Ocean for this game.
Step forward Mauritania and Zambia, who will face La Albiceleste at La Bombonera on March 27 and March 31, respectively. Zambia are former African champions, but less is known about Argentina's initial opponents.
Where is Mauritania?
Mauritania is situated in northwest Africa and has a western coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. It is officially know as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Although it is the 11th biggest country in Africa and 28th in the world in terms of land, 90% of its territory is the Sahara Desert.
Mauritania has a population of 4.3 million people.
Mauritania football team FIFA ranking, World Cup history
Mauritania is currently ranked 115th in the world by FIFA, between Kazakhstan and The Gambia. The Lions of Chinguetti achieved their highest FIFA ranking of 81st in July 2017, having been as low as 206th in January 2013.
The African nation has never qualified for either the World Cup finals or the Olympic Games.
They contested three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments between 2019 and 2023. In the first two of those tournaments Mauritania departed winless after the group stage but, in 2023, a famous win over Algeria helped them to reach the Round of 16, where they were beaten 1-0 by Cape Verde.
The March 27 match in Buenos Aires will be Mauritania's first match against three-time world champions Argentina.
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