diff --git a/tuf/api/metadata.py b/tuf/api/metadata.py
index 4d236b57..4d44bc11 100644
--- a/tuf/api/metadata.py
+++ b/tuf/api/metadata.py
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ def __init__(
 
         # TODO: Should we separate data validation from constructor?
         if version < 0:
-            raise ValueError(f"version must be < 0, got {version}")
+            raise ValueError(f"version must be >= 0, got {version}")
         self.version = version
 
     @staticmethod