Host country Paraguay banned home fans from wearing Argentina shirts or Lionel Messi’s number 10 during the match between the two teams in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America.
Paraguay will host Argentina in round 11 of the South American World Cup qualifiers at home stadium Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion on the evening of November 14.
Ahead of the match, the Paraguayan Football Federation (APF) announced that people sitting in the home fan sections would not be allowed to wear Argentina, Barca or Inter Miami shirts with Messi’s name on them. They could wear neutral team shirts, and were encouraged to wear Paraguay shirts.
“Nobody is allowed to wear the jersey of Argentina, Argentine clubs or clubs with the name of a club from another country,” said Fernando Villasboa, a senior member of the APF. “We want to fill the Defensores del Chaco stadium with Paraguayan colors, so that the players can feel that support from the stands. Everyone is part of the game in their own way.”
Villasboa said he had great respect for all the players, but wanted to protect the home advantage against the reigning world champions. Another reason was that the APF wanted to ensure safety, avoiding incidents and clashes that could occur inside and outside the Defensores del Chaco stadium.
Paraguay applied a similar rule to Vinicius in their most recent home win over Brazil on September 10, when home fans wearing the jersey of the Real Madrid star or the opponent were not allowed to enter the stadium. 
Argentina are leading the South American qualifying table for the 2026 World Cup with 22 points from ten matches, three points ahead of second-placed Colombia. Paraguay are sixth with 13 points.
According to the format, the top six teams in the South American qualifying round will qualify for the 2026 World Cup group stage, while the seventh-placed team will have to play an intercontinental play-off, and the bottom three teams will be eliminated.
Messi is leading the scoring charts with six goals, including a hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Bolivia. The 37-year-old has played 17 times against Paraguay, winning six, drawing five, losing two, scoring five and assisting six. 
