Messi's Farewell Kit, Piece by Piece: Argentina's Special Edition 2026
Argentina’s 2026 special edition was built around one shirt: the one Lionel Messi wears for his final Argentina match. The collection is more than that single jersey — a goalkeeper kit, a pre-match top, socks, boots and a set of culture wear came with it. This guide walks the range piece by piece, explains what makes the match shirt different from a normal Argentina home shirt, and sets out which piece does what so you can pick without guessing.
The short version
A special-edition Argentina collection made with the Argentine Football Association, released on 25 September 2026 and built around the shirt worn for one fixture only — Argentina v Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
A shirt built from the flag, not from the stripes
Argentina shirts are normally a run of narrow sky-blue and white stripes. The special edition throws that layout out and copies the national flag instead: one wide white band straight down the middle of a sky-blue base, with the Sun of May drawn across the whole torso in tonal line work rather than in silver or grey.
The gold is the other half of the story. It sits on the crest, on the name and number, and on the black crew collar and black sleeve cuffs, each of which is finished with a gold edge. On the right chest, in the place a performance logo would normally sit, the shirt carries Messi’s own ‘M’ signature mark instead — the clearest signal that this is a tribute shirt rather than a season kit.
The detail that carries the tribute
The chest mark is gold, the crest is gold, the number is gold, and the Sun of May runs from the collar down to the hem on both sides. Read the shirt front to back and the same two ideas repeat: the country’s oldest national symbol, and the number that defined a career.
| Element | What the special edition does |
|---|---|
| Body | One wide white band down the centre of a sky-blue base — the flag layout, not a run of narrow stripes |
| Torso | A tonal Sun of May in line work, spanning the front and the back |
| Chest mark | Messi’s own ‘M’ signature mark in metallic gold, where the performance logo usually sits |
| Crest | The Argentine Football Association crest with three stars above it, finished in gold |
| Name and number | Gold with a black outline, in the 2026 tournament number font |
| Collar and cuffs | Black crew collar and black sleeve cuffs, each edged in gold |
| Sleeves | Sky-blue raglan sleeves with the white shoulder stripes kept |
| Back | A gold Sun of May framing the No. 10 between laurel branches, below the rear collar |
Three ways to wear the No. 10
The match shirt is listed with three name-and-number options, and they change what you are buying far more than any size choice does. The option and the size are picked separately on the product page, so every combination is its own line in the size run — worth knowing before you wonder why the same shirt appears twice.
| Option | What you get | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| MESSI 10 | The gold No. 10 with MESSI above it, in the tournament number font | Anyone who wants the shirt as it was worn on the night |
| Your Name | Your own name printed in the same gold lettering, with the No. 10 | Personalised shirts and gifts |
| Blank | No name and no number — the Sun of May artwork and the gold crest stand on their own | A cleaner shirt, and the one that reads best off the pitch |
What the blank shirt actually looks like
Strip the name and number away and the shirt still reads as a tribute. The single white band gives it a vertical axis, the Sun of May spreads across the torso, and the gold crest sits opposite the gold ‘M’ mark. It is the version most people will end up wearing more often, because it stops being a matchday shirt and starts being a shirt.
Fits: men’s, women’s, kids
All three fits carry the same three name-and-number options and the same design. What changes is the cut and the size run. Kids sizing on this drop runs from the smallest junior sizes up to the top of the youth range, so it covers young supporters rather than only small children.
| Fit | Size run | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s | S to XXXL | The standard cut; if you are between sizes on a football shirt, take the larger one |
| Women’s | XS to XXL | A narrower cut through the body and sleeve than the men’s |
| Kids | Junior sizes up to the top of the youth range | Same design and same three name options as the adult shirts |
The rest of the matchday kit
The match jersey is the headline, but the release is a full range and the same flag and Sun of May language runs through all of it. That is what makes it read as one set rather than a single shirt with extras bolted on.
Goalkeeper shirt
The goalkeeper version keeps the Sun of May layout and switches the base to a deep teal green, with the collar, the cuffs and the crest picked out in gold and a gold badge on the chest. It comes with matching green shorts and dark green socks in the full kit, and it is listed here as the shirt on its own.
Pre-match shirt
The warm-up top is the lightest piece in the drop: a pale sky blue that fades into white, with the sunburst radiating out from the crest at the centre of the chest and solid sky-blue raglan sleeves and collar. It is the one item in the collection you can wear to a training session without looking like you are on your way to a match.
Socks and boots
The socks are white with a light blue cuff band and a gold mark on the calf, sold as a single pair in three sizes. The boots released with the drop are listed on their own as well. Neither comes with the shirt.
Off the pitch: the culture wear
The collection is not only match kit. The crest and the shoulder stripes carry over onto everyday shapes, and the track jacket and the track pants are the two pieces of that range. They are sold separately, so you can take either on its own or as a set.
Everything in the culture range is night navy with sky-blue and white stripe detailing. It is a deliberately quiet palette — if you want one piece from the drop that does not look like a football shirt, this is the part of the collection to look at.
Matchday: Argentina v Benin, 6 October 2026
The collection was created for a single fixture, and the shirt is only worn once. Argentina host Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Tuesday 6 October 2026, kicking off at 20:00 UTC — 17:00 in Buenos Aires. It is Messi’s 208th and final Argentina appearance.
- 31 August 2026Retirement from international football announcedThe end of the Argentina career is confirmed before the shirt is seen.
- 22 September 2026The shirt is teasedThe special edition is shown ahead of release.
- 25 September 2026The collection goes on saleMatch shirt, goalkeeper kit, pre-match shirt, socks, boots and culture wear release together.
- 30 September 2026Argentina v BoliviaMessi is not in the squad. The special edition is not worn.
- 3 October 2026Argentina v Burkina FasoMessi is not in the squad. The special edition is not worn.
- 6 October 2026Argentina v Benin — the shirt is wornEstadio Monumental, Buenos Aires. 20:00 UTC. Messi’s 208th and final Argentina cap.
Two of the three October fixtures are warm-ups he sits out. If you are buying the shirt as a record of the night, the date that matters is 6 October, and the fixture that matters is Benin.
Which piece should you actually buy?
Eight pieces, one occasion, and a price range that runs from the socks to the boots. The honest answer depends on what you want the shirt to do after the match.
| If you want | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The shirt as worn | The match shirt with the gold MESSI 10 | The gold No. 10 is the version on the pitch, printed front and back |
| A shirt you will wear weekly | The match shirt, blank | No name, no number, so the Sun of May artwork carries it off the pitch |
| Something personalised | The match shirt with Your Name | The same gold lettering as the tribute shirt, with your own name on the back |
| The whole matchday look | Match shirt, socks and boots | Socks and boots are listed separately, so the set is built in three orders |
| One piece, no matchday cues | The track jacket or the track pants | Night navy culture wear — the quietest thing in the drop |
| A goalkeeper or a warm-up top | The goalkeeper shirt or the pre-match shirt | Both keep the sunburst and change everything around it |
What the shirt is built with
The commemorative design borrows nothing from the performance side. Underneath the tribute graphics it is the same match-level construction Argentina wear in competitive fixtures, put together for high-intensity football in warm conditions.
| Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Engineered stretch knit, built with 3D body mapping |
| Ventilation | Breathable performance fabric for airflow and moisture management |
| Panels | Perforated three-stripe panels running through the shirt |
| Mesh | Mesh zones placed at the points that build heat fastest |
| Purpose | To keep the shirt dry and the air moving through 90 minutes in high temperatures |
The Sun of May, and why it is on this shirt
The Sun of May — the Sol de Mayo — is one of Argentina’s national symbols, taken from the May Revolution of 1810. It sits at the centre of the national flag, and it has appeared on Argentine coinage since the early 1800s.
On this shirt it is used twice. The first is the tonal sunburst spreading across the front and back of the torso, drawn in line work so it reads as texture rather than a printed graphic. The second is the gold sun around the No. 10 on the upper back, framed by laurel branches. Both point the same way: the country’s oldest symbol, paired with the number that defined a career.
Questions fans ask
When did the Argentina Messi special edition go on sale?
Which match is the 2026 Argentina special edition shirt worn in?
How is it different from Argentina’s normal home shirt?
Can I order the shirt without Messi’s name and number?
Are the socks and the boots included with the shirt?
Does the Argentina No. 10 get retired after the farewell match?
Shop the collection
Every card below goes straight to the product page, where the fit, the name-and-number option and the size are chosen. Men’s, women’s and kids listings are on the same card because the designs are the same.
Keep reading
- The full reference: every piece in the 2026 Argentina special editionWhat was released, the element-by-element breakdown of the match shirt, and the key dates.
- Argentina v Benin: the farewell match, kick-off time and the October windowMessi's 208th and final Argentina appearance at the Estadio Monumental.
- All Argentina shirts in this storeHome, away, special editions and retro.