Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31, 2026. He ended a career that included 207 appearances and 125 goals for Argentina. Soon after, the Argentine Football Association moved to honour him by retiring the No. 10 shirt.
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, had stated the plan earlier. In 2024 he declared, “Argentina’s No. 10 shirt will be retired when Messi ends his professional career.” He later added that no one else would wear the number after Messi and that it would be retired for life as a tribute.
However, FIFA regulations blocked the permanent move. The governing body requires national teams in official tournaments to assign consecutive squad numbers. For a 26-player roster, teams must use numbers 1 through 26 with no gaps. As a result, Argentina cannot leave the No. 10 vacant in World Cup or Copa América squads.
Argentina previously faced the same barrier. In 2001 the association voted to retire the No. 10 in honour of Diego Maradona ahead of the 2002 World Cup. FIFA rejected the request. Ariel Ortega then wore the shirt at that tournament.
Meanwhile, the rule does not apply to friendly matches. Argentina can therefore leave the number unused in non-competitive games. Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s head coach, confirmed the approach for upcoming fixtures. He said, “We aren’t obligated to assign it for these matches, so we won’t give it to anyone until Leo’s farewell game.”
Messi is scheduled to make his final appearance for Argentina on October 6, 2026, against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. After that match the association must still assign the number for future official competitions under FIFA rules. No decision has yet been announced on who will next wear the shirt.
