Do Soccer Teams Retire Jersey Numbers?

By Flux Jersey Editorial Team · Editorial policy

Yes. Soccer clubs can retire a jersey number as a tribute, taking it out of use for players in the teams covered by the announcement. AC Milan’s number 6 for Franco Baresi and Ajax’s number 14 for Johan Cruyff are examples. A retirement does not remove that number from every team, competition or supporter shirt: you need to check exactly who made the announcement and what it covers.

What changes when a club retires a number?

The tribute concerns the number being assigned to players. It can recognise a player’s contribution or commemorate someone who has died. The number becomes part of that team’s tribute to the person, rather than simply passing to another squad member.

A number missing from today’s squad list is not, by itself, evidence of a permanent retirement. Look for a statement saying the club has withdrawn it, rather than assuming an unused number has the same status.

Three examples you can check

These cases show why the team and the wording matter. They are a small set of documented examples, rather than a complete list of retired numbers.

Retired numbers and the scope supported by each source

Team and number	Player	What the primary source establishes
AC Milan · 6	Franco Baresi	The club’s Hall of Fame biography says it retired his shirt number.
Ajax · 14	Johan Cruyff	The Cruyff Foundation’s account says nobody else at Ajax will play in number 14.
Liverpool · 20	Diogo Jota	Its 26 July 2025 announcement confirms retirement across all club levels, including LFC Women and the Academy.

Why tournament numbering needs a separate check

A club tribute and a tournament’s registration requirements answer different questions. To understand a national team’s options, read the rules for that particular competition and edition.

The May 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup 2026 regulations allows final squads of 23–26 players in Article 24.1. Article 29.1 sets the shirt-number range at 1–26, with number 1 for a goalkeeper; Article 29.2 gives a replacement goalkeeper the next unused number, such as 27.

UEFA’s European Championship 2026–28 regulations, Article 41.01, distinguish qualifying numbers, 1–23, from final-tournament numbers, 1–26. If number 1 is used, it must belong to a goalkeeper.

A permitted range is not the same statement as a requirement to use every number in it. Squad size and replacement provisions also matter. These clauses should not be shortened into a claim that national teams can never retire numbers, or that one rule governs every international match.

Can a supporter still wear the retired number?

A number withdrawn from the playing squad can still appear on a supporter shirt. Liverpool provides a clear example: the same July 2025 announcement that confirmed Jota’s number 20 retirement also invited supporters to have “Diogo J. 20” printed through official club stores.

The two acts served the same tribute: stop assigning his number to players while allowing supporters to remember him. That dated announcement explains the distinction; it is not a statement about printing availability at any shop today.

If you are deciding what to print on your own shirt, our blank or named soccer jersey guide compares those options.

How to check a claim about your team

1. Start with the institution. Find the club or association’s own announcement and match the exact player and number.
2. Read the scope. Is it a permanent retirement, a temporary tribute or simply a number absent from the current squad? Does the statement identify the first team, women’s team or Academy?
3. Separate the competition. For a tournament appearance, check that edition’s registration rules and any replacement exception.
4. Check the date and later updates. An old list is a starting point, not confirmation that every entry still has the same status.