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Lionel Messi has been confirmed to retain Argentina's iconic No. 10 shirt at the 2026 World Cup.
The Inter Miami star is set to become one of the rare players to feature at six separate World Cup tournaments—Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa are also chasing the same milestone—and Messi will be hoping to cap what is likely his final tournament with a championship.
His pursuit of glory will once again see him sport the iconic No. 10 on his back, following Argentina's official announcement of its complete squad jersey numbers for this summer's tournament.
Argentina's 2026 World Cup Jersey Numbers
Player | Jersey Number |
|---|---|
Juan Musso | 1 |
Leonardo Balerdi | 2 |
Nicolás Tagliafico | 3 |
Gonzalo Montiel | 4 |
Leandro Paredes | 5 |
Lisandro Martínez | 6 |
Rodrigo de Paul | 7 |
Valentin Barco | 8 |
Julián Álvarez | 9 |
Lionel Messi | 10 |
Giovani Lo Celso | 11 |
Geronimo Rulli | 12 |
Cristian Romero | 13 |
Exequiel Palacios | 14 |
Nico Gonzalez | 15 |
Thiago Almada | 16 |
Giuliano Simeone | 17 |
Nico Paz | 18 |
Nicolas Otamendi | 19 |
Alexis Mac Allister | 20 |
Jose Manuel Lopez | 21 |
Lautaro Martínez | 22 |
Emiliano Martínez | 23 |
Enzo Fernández | 24 |
Facundo Medina | 25 |
Nahuel Molina | 26 |
Why Does Lionel Messi Wear No. 10?
Messi's senior debut at Barcelona saw him wear either 30 or 19, while his early international career with Argentina had him alternating between 18 and 19. It wasn't until 2008 that he switched to No. 10 for both club and country.
By adopting the No. 10, Messi chose to honor the legacy of legendary players who influenced his development. At Barcelona, he inherited the celebrated shirt following Ronaldinho's exit, but the significance of the number for Argentina carries even greater weight.
Argentina's No. 10 shirt was immortalized by the late Diego Maradona, who coincidentally took charge of the national team as head coach in October 2008. One of his earliest moves was to take the No. 18 away from Messi and hand him the No. 10.
It was a deeply meaningful moment for Messi, whose reverence for Maradona and his influence on Argentine football speaks for itself, and he has held onto that number for both club and country almost without interruption ever since.
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Messi has now donned the No. 10 for Argentina for 18 consecutive years, and at club level, he has spent only one season without his preferred shirt number.
When Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, the No. 10 was already occupied by his close friend Neymar. The Brazilian reportedly offered to give it up, but Messi turned him down and instead opted for No. 30—the number he wore for his senior debut at Barcelona. Since that number is typically assigned to goalkeepers in Ligue 1, special dispensation was required.
He reclaimed the No. 10 when he moved to Inter Miami two years later and looks set to wear his signature number for the remainder of his playing days. For Argentina, he may ultimately be the last player to carry it, with speculation mounting that the jersey could be retired once Messi calls time on his career.