Buenos Aires / Global — FIFA regulations are preventing the Argentine Football Association (AFA) from permanently retiring the No. 10 jersey worn by Lionel Messi following his retirement from international football.
Messi, Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 125 goals in 207 appearances, announced his international retirement on August 31, 2026, after the national team’s run to the 2026 World Cup final. He is scheduled to make a farewell appearance against Benin on October 6 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
AFA president Claudio Tapia had previously expressed the federation’s desire to retire the number in Messi’s honour, stating in earlier comments that the No. 10 shirt would be withdrawn once Messi’s international career ended. However, FIFA’s tournament rules require national teams to assign consecutive squad numbers — typically 1 through 26 for a full World Cup or Copa América roster — with no gaps permitted. This makes it impossible to leave the No. 10 permanently vacant in official competitions.
Argentina can still choose not to assign the number during friendly matches or certain non-FIFA fixtures as a form of tribute. The same restriction applied two decades earlier when the AFA attempted to retire Diego Maradona’s No. 10 ahead of the 2002 World Cup; FIFA rejected the request, and the shirt was issued to Ariel Ortega.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has indicated that no player will wear the No. 10 until after Messi’s farewell game. Reports have mentioned young midfielder Nico Paz as a potential future candidate for the shirt should Scaloni remain in charge.
According to an X (Twitter) post by @instablog9ja (posted October 2, 2026), which shared the headline “FIFA Blocks Argentina’s Plan to Retire Lionel Messi’s Iconic No. 10 Shirt.” The underlying facts are corroborated by multiple sports outlets including talkSPORT, Sports Illustrated, Punch Newspapers (citing GOAL.com reports), FourFourTwo, and others.
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