Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from the Argentina national team. In an Instagram post on August 31, 2026, Messi said he would leave the national team. The statement said that although the decision “hurts deep in the soul,” he understands that now is the time to leave. [Messi’s official Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/leomessi/) was confirmed as the primary source, while multiple outlets, including Reuters and EFE, reported the news.
Key Change
Messi explained that he had given everything to the national team and had no more strength left to give. He also said that there are excellent young players ready to follow in his footsteps. The confirmed change, therefore, is the announcement that Messi’s Argentina national-team career has ended.
The key point is that Messi himself announced in an official post that “now is the time to leave.”
According to multiple reports, the text Messi published was written on July 21, two days after Argentina lost to Spain in the World Cup final on July 19, 2026, and was made public after his father, Jorge Messi, died on August 8. However, the statement does not provide grounds to conclude that his father’s death was the sole reason for his retirement.
Current Status
According to FIFA materials, Messi was included in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and played in the tournament. Argentina lost 1–0 to Spain in the final, which was reported as Messi’s last match for the national team.
The scope of this announcement is the Argentina national team. There has been no official confirmation that Messi is also ending his club career at Inter Miami. It should therefore not be interpreted more broadly as “retirement from all professional football” or the “immediate end of his club career.”
Impact
Messi’s announcement resolves uncertainty over whether he would continue playing for Argentina after the 2026 World Cup final. Attention will now turn to the roles of the young players Messi mentioned and whether the Argentina national team undergoes a generational transition.
Messi also announced his retirement from international football after losing the 2016 Copa América final, but later returned to the Argentina national team. It is not an established fact that this announcement will be reversed in the same way.
What to Check Next
There are currently three points to monitor.
- Whether the Argentine Football Association issues a separate official retirement statement
- Whether Messi makes further comments about his club career after retiring from the national team
- What changes appear in Argentina’s subsequent matches and squad selection
At the time of the search, no separate retirement statement from Messi was found in the AFA’s official news list. The basis of this article is therefore Messi’s Instagram post and media reports that cross-checked its contents.
Source Verification
The information was checked at 17:35 UTC on August 31, 2026. The original announcement source is [Messi’s official Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/leomessi/). Related coverage includes [a Reuters-citing report](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/8/31/argentina-legend-lionel-messi-retires-from-international-football), [EFE](https://efe.com/deportes/2026-08-31/lionel-messi-se-retira-seleccion-argentina/), [El País](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2026-08-31/leo-messi-se-retira-de-la-seleccion-argentina-duele-en-el-alma-pero-entiendo-que-es-el-momento.html), [FIFA World Cup materials](https://www.fifa.com/es/articles/scaloni-quiero-agradecer-eternamente-a-estos-chicos-que-compitieron-hasta-el-final), and [AP’s report on Jorge Messi’s death](https://apnews.com/article/99557efd37d8bd92cd8eb1ed24365f87).