Argentina Cannot Retire Messi’s No. 10 Shirt Under FIFA Rules

Argentina will not be able to permanently retire Lionel Messi’s iconic No. 10 shirt for major international tournaments because of FIFA’s squad-numbering regulations.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has expressed a desire to honour Messi by taking the number out of circulation following his decision to retire from international football.

Messi is scheduled to make his final appearance for Argentina on October 6, when the world champions face Benin in a farewell friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The AFA confirmed the match as Messi’s farewell appearance after the 39-year-old announced his international retirement.

Messi has made 207 appearances for Argentina and scored 125 goals. He has also captained the national team to two Copa América titles and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

However, FIFA's regulations for major international tournaments require participating teams to allocate squad numbers within the permitted sequence. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA confirmed that squad numbers run from 1 to 26, with No. 1 reserved for a goalkeeper.

As a result, Argentina cannot permanently remove No. 10 from its squad numbering for competitions such as the World Cup. The same issue arose when Argentina attempted to retire Maradona's No. 10 shirt ahead of the 2002 World Cup, with the number subsequently being assigned to another player.

Argentina can, however, choose not to use the number in certain matches outside tournaments. Reports say the shirt has already been left unused in some recent friendlies and qualifiers as Messi's international career approached its conclusion.

There is also no confirmed decision on who will permanently inherit the shirt after Messi's farewell. Young Argentine players, including Nico Paz and Franco Mastantuono, have been mentioned in reports as potential successors, but the AFA and head coach Lionel Scaloni have not announced a final choice.

While FIFA's tournament regulations prevent Argentina from permanently retiring the No. 10 shirt, the country can still honour Messi's legacy through tributes and by managing the number's use outside competitions governed by those rules.

Messi's final Argentina appearance is scheduled for October 6 against Benin at the Monumental, bringing an end to one of the longest international careers in the history of the national team.