Why Argentina cannot retire Lionel Messi's shirt number as rarely-used FIFA rule explained

Argentina wanted to retire Lionel Messi's shirt number, but one FIFA rule prevents them from doing so.

Messi announced his retirement from international football on August 31 after a glittering career spanning over two decades.

The Inter Miami star will officially bid farewell to the South American nation on October 6 when they take on Benin at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

READ NEXT: Two Argentina players 'blocked' from joining Argentina squad for Lionel Messi's farewell game

Why Argentina cannot retire Lionel Messi's shirt number

In the eyes of many, Messi is the greatest player to grace the beautiful game, and he continued to showcase why at the 2026 World Cup.

He lit up the tournament with some magical moments and only finished behind Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe for most goals scored.

The 39-year-old proved that age is just a number and almost single-handedly dragged his team to a second successive World Cup, only to lose 1-0 to Spain in the final.

Unsurprisingly, to honour his legacy and eye-watering 125 goals in 207 appearances for his nation, Argentina wanted to retire the No. 10 shirt.

But they were met with an instant roadblock, as FIFA Regulations state that numbers for international tournament teams should be within the range 1-26, making their demand impossible.

Other teams have tried to exploit this rule in the past, including Liberia, who retired the number 14 shirt to honor the legendary George Weah.

However, during the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, FIFA guidelines forced them to bring the shirt out of retirement for Nicholas Andrews because a complete 23-man squad requires every consecutive number between 1 and 23 to be used.

READ NEXT: Crazy Cristiano Ronaldo theory proven correct after Al-Nassr star storms out on Portugal

Nico Paz is the favourite to replace Lionel Messi as Argentina's number 10

Lionel Scaloni's Argentina side take on Burkina Faso on Saturday (October 3) before turning their attention to Messi's farewell game.

Scaloni already confirmed that former Tottenham defender Cristian Romero will take over Messi as captain, but hasn't officially revealed who will grab his soon-to-be-vacant shirt number.

"We aren't obligated to assign it for these matches, so we won't give it to anyone until Leo's farewell game," the 48-year-old said in Tuesday's press conference.

"The idea is for someone to eventually take it on, given how special it is to wear. We just haven't decided who yet."

According to ESPN Argentina journalist Federico Bueno, Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz has been decided "internally" as the successor to the iconic shirt number.

Bueno said: "Should Scaloni renew his contract as head coach of Argentina... then the No. 10 shirt will be Nico Paz's. It has been decided internally."

Paz has become one of Europe's most exciting attacking midfielders at Como, with 40 goal involvements in 81 appearances for the club.

But anyone stepping into Messi's shoes has the impossible task of replicating his magic, even if the 22-year-old is highly rated by many of the world's biggest clubs.

Paz joined Como permanently from Real Madrid for €60million in the summer, but the Spanish giants inserted an €80million buy-back clause in his contract.

Chelsea and Arsenal are just two European powerhouses to express admiration for the Argentine, who has found the net just once in 11 appearances for his nation.