Context. The nature of circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) around Cepheids is a matter of ongoing debate. The physical origin of their infrared (IR) excess could be shown to either be made up of a shell of ionized gas, a dust envelope, or a combination of both.Aims. This study is aimed at constraining the geometry and the IR excess of the environment of the bright long-period Cepheid l Car (P = 35.5 days) at mid-IR wavelengths in order to understand its physical nature.Methods. We first used photometric observations in various bands (from the visible domain to the infrared) and Spitzer Space Telescope spectroscopy to constrain the IR excess of l Car. Then we analyzed the VLTI/MATISSE measurements at a specific phase of observation in order to de...