Argentina’s farewell shirt for 2026 is a separate special edition, built for one match only: the friendly against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday 6 October 2026. That night is Lionel Messi’s 208th Argentina appearance and his last one. The collection went on sale on 25 September 2026 and covers a goalkeeper kit, a pre-match shirt, training and culture wear, socks and a pair of boots — all finished in the same sky blue, white and gold.
Direct answer
- The range is a one-match release, not a new home kit: the shirt is worn against Benin and then retired.
- The shirt keeps Argentina’s sky blue and white but drops the narrow stripe run for the layout of the national flag — a single wide white band down the centre.
- The Sun of May is drawn large across the torso in tonal line work, front and back.
- Gold finishes the crest, the number and the trim; the collar and cuffs are black with a gold edge.
- The mark normally printed on the right chest is replaced by Messi’s own signature.
- Men’s, women’s and kids’ fits across the range. The boots and socks come in one version only.
Why the shirt looks the way it does
Argentina’s shirts have been built on vertical stripes for decades, and the run has barely changed. This one drops the stripes entirely and takes the layout of the national flag instead: a single wide white band down the centre of a sky blue body. Read at a distance, the shirt is the flag.
The second idea is the Sun of May, the emblem at the centre of that flag. It is enlarged and repeated across the whole torso in tonal line work, so it reads through the fabric without competing with the crest. Gold then carries the finishing — the crest, the number, the shoulder stripes and the trim — the colour the national team has always used to mark a trophy.
Element by element
- BodyOne wide white band down the centre of a sky blue base — the layout of the national flag rather than a run of stripes.
- TorsoThe Sun of May drawn large in tonal line work, running across the front and the back.
- Right chestMessi’s own signature mark in gold, in the place the maker’s mark normally takes.
- CrestThe Argentine Football Association crest with three stars above it, finished in gold.
- NumberGold with a black outline, in the current tournament lettering.
- Collar and cuffsBlack crew collar and black sleeve cuffs, each closed with a gold edge.
- SleevesSky blue with the white shoulder stripes kept from the regular shirt.
- BackA gold Sun of May framing the No. 10 between laurel branches, set below the rear collar.
For comparison, Argentina’s regular 2026 home shirt keeps the narrow stripe run and the standard chest mark. The farewell shirt is a separate design made for this one match — it is not the shirt worn through the tournament.
The pieces, one by one
The farewell match shirt
The shirt is the centre of the range. It is cut in a soft performance knit, with ventilated panels under the arms and a light, quick-drying handfeel — the same technical brief as a match shirt, with the design turned up for one night. The blank version carries no name and no number, so the flag layout and the gold crest stand on their own.
With the gold Messi 10 across the back
The numbered version puts the gold No. 10 across the upper back, framed by a gold Sun of May between laurel branches. It is printed with a black outline so it holds up against the pale blue. A third option prints a name of your own in the same gold lettering — all three print states are listed together, in every fit.
The goalkeeper kit
The goalkeeper shirt moves the same design onto a dark green ground: the Sun of May still spans the body, and the gold moves to the collar, the cuffs, the shoulder stripes, the crest and the signature mark. It is worn with matching green shorts and dark green socks.
The pre-match shirt
The warm-up shirt is the one the players wear in the minutes before kick-off. It comes in sky blue and white in a soft faded finish, with the crest and the signature mark set centred on the chest inside a ring of Sun of May artwork. The sleeves are a shade deeper than the body, which is what gives it the modern look.
Culture wear: track jacket and track pants
The off-pitch half of the range is dark. The track jacket and the track pants are cut in a deep navy with gold detail along the shoulders, the zip and the cuff, so the collection reads the same whether you are at the ground or away from it. Both are cut for travel and for the walk to the match.
Socks
The anniversary socks finish the look: white with a light blue cuff band and gold detailing, a cushioned footbed and a ribbed cuff that holds its shape. They are a single-version piece in S to L.
Boots
The range closes with a pair of white and gold firm-ground boots, low-cut for a close touch on the ball, with a stable stud plate and a lightweight upper for quick turns. Like the socks, they are a single-version piece rather than three separate fits.
When it will be worn
The shirt has a short, fixed calendar. It went on sale on 25 September 2026 and it is worn once — in the last match of Argentina’s window.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | Messi announces his retirement from international football. |
| 22 September 2026 | The shirt is previewed ahead of release. |
| 25 September 2026 | The Argentina Messi farewell collection goes on sale. |
| 30 September 2026 | Argentina v Bolivia — Messi is not in the squad. |
| 3 October 2026 | Argentina v Burkina Faso — Messi is not in the squad. |
| 6 October 2026 | Argentina v Benin, Estadio Monumental. The shirt is worn, and Messi wins his 208th and final cap. |
Fits, sizing and care
Every garment in the range is cut three ways except the boots and the socks. The size runs match the rest of our Argentina shirts, so if you already own one, order the same size.
| Item | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Men’s | XS · S · M · L · XL · XXL · XXXL |
| Women’s | XXS · XS · S · M · L · XL · XXL · XXXL |
| Kids’ | 3-4 · 7-8 · 9-10 · 11-12 · 13-14 · 15-16 · 17-18 |
| Boots | UK 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 — one version |
| Socks | S · M · L — one version |
Care. Machine wash cold, inside out, then hang or lay flat to dry. Heat is what dulls the gold print and the Sun of May artwork, so keep it out of the dryer and off a hot iron.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Messi’s final Argentina match?
- Tuesday 6 October 2026, against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. It is his 208th Argentina appearance and his last. Argentina play Bolivia on 30 September and Burkina Faso on 3 October in the same window, but Messi is not expected to feature in either.
- What is different about the farewell shirt?
- It drops Argentina’s usual run of narrow stripes and takes the layout of the national flag instead — one wide white band down the centre of a sky blue body. The Sun of May is drawn large across the torso in tonal line work, the crest and number are finished in gold, the collar and cuffs are black with a gold edge, and the mark that normally sits on the right chest is replaced by Messi’s own signature.
- Can I buy the shirt with the No. 10 on it?
- Yes. The farewell shirt is listed in three print states: with the gold Messi 10 across the back, with a name of your own in the same lettering, or blank with no name and no number. All three are cut in men’s, women’s and kids’ sizes.
- Is the rest of the collection the same colour?
- It is built on the same three colours. The goalkeeper shirt is dark green with gold trim and the same Sun of May artwork; the pre-match shirt is sky blue and white in a soft faded finish; the culture wear is dark navy with gold detailing.
- Do the boots and socks come in three fits?
- No. Both are single-version pieces. The boots run in UK 6 to UK 11 and the socks in S to L.
- How should the shirt be washed?
- Machine wash cold and inside out, then hang or lay flat to dry. That protects the gold print and the Sun of May artwork, which are the parts most likely to dull with heat.
Shop the Argentina range
Everything in the farewell collection sits in our Argentina collections, alongside the regular home and away shirts, the training pieces and the wider Messi range.
Sports Fan Kit — crafted for supporters who wear their pride.