Argentine superstar Lionel Messi left the world absolutely stunned after he announced his retirement from international football. National teams have to use designated numbers in consecutive order for every player when it comes to international tournaments. However, this rule only applies to official FIFA competitions.
As a result, Argentina’s mythical No. There have been many calls to officially retire the jersey number after Messi’s departure but that will be extremely difficult due to one specific FIFA rule. 10 jersey, which was once worn by Diego Maradona as well, remains officially vacant. During the FIFA World Cup 2026, every team had a 26-player squad and the only jersey numbers that could be used were 1 through 26.
Argentina’s No. 10 Jersey Status Ahead of Major Tournaments
Argentina has the option to leave the No. 10 jersey vacant for upcoming friendly matches. However, it is highly unlikely that FIFA will permit this practice for the 2028 Copa America or the 2030 FIFA World Cup. In a similar situation during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, FIFA did not allow the jersey to remain unassigned, leading to Ariel Ortega donning the iconic number.
As captain and talisman, his departure raises big questions about the future of a team that reached the World Cup final just six weeks ago. Messi announced his retirement from the national team on Monday after a 21-year career, leaving behind a legacy of 125 goals and the 2022 World Cup title. Messi made his senior debut in 2005, went on to become Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, and appeared in six World Cups. He holds the records for both the most games played (34) and most victories (23) in the history of the tournament.
