The gap was confirmed after Uruguay won a spectacular 3-2 victory over Colombia on November 16, in the late match of the 11th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. This helped Messi and Argentina maintain their top position. They will prepare for the next match against Peru at home at 7am on November 20 with a special version of the jersey.

If they regain the taste of victory, Messi and the Argentina team will end 2024 with their absolute position on the rankings, aiming for 2025 to soon complete the qualification for the 2026 World Cup to defend the championship.

In preparation for the event, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has just launched a special edition of the classic jersey. This is also the occasion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the relationship between AFA and Adidas, during the most successful period in the history of the Albiceleste (Argentina team), when they won 3 World Cup championships: 1978, 1986 and 2022.

This shirt is a classic, capturing the most prominent moments of the commercial relationship between AFA and Adidas. The shirt features thick stripes, including a sky blue stripe down the middle, similar to its classic design from the 1974 World Cup in Germany. In addition, the AFA badge, surrounded by a laurel wreath and some details appear embroidered in gold, reminding us that this is the current world champion.

Messi and his teammates appeared in a video to launch this special version of the jersey. The AFA announced that this version is a commemorative version, so it will only be used in the match against Peru, after which the Argentina team will return to using the kit launched in March this year.

The match against Peru, who are second to last in the South American qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup, will be a chance for Messi and Argentina to regain victory after their recent loss to Paraguay.

Messi has failed to score in three of Argentina’s last four away games, and is having a tough week after Inter Miami were eliminated from the MLS Cup in the first round, followed by a shock defeat to Paraguay.

Messi scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Bolivia on October 16, but has failed to score in previous away games against Brazil (1-0 win), Venezuela (1-1 draw) and most recently Paraguay (1-2 loss). He missed the other away games, including the 2-1 loss to Colombia and the 3-0 win over Bolivia.

The only away game where Messi shone was against Peru in Lima, where the Inter Miami star scored a brace to help Argentina to a 2-0 win.

In 2025, Argentina will play three difficult away matches against Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador. Meanwhile, they will host Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America will end in September 2025.