No Kerala stop for Lionel Messi: Argentina’s 2026 schedule leaves fans disappointed

Kerala’s football faithful will have to wait longer to witness their idol, Lionel Messi, and the reigning world champions Argentina play on home turf, as the South American team’s 2026 international schedule excludes India altogether.

Hopes were riding high after Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman, following a series of high-level discussions with the Argentina Football Association (AFA) in Spain last year, announced plans to host Messi and his team for an exhibition match in the state.

The proposal had generated immense excitement, particularly among fans in football-obsessed districts like Malappuram and Kozhikode, where Argentina has long enjoyed overwhelming support — an affinity that deepened after the nation’s 2022 World Cup triumph.

However, Argentina’s newly released tour itinerary for 2026 lists fixtures in China, Qatar, and Africa, leaving Kerala — and India — out of the picture. The development has dashed the hopes of both the Kerala government and its large base of Argentine football fans.

Messi last played in India in 2011, when Argentina took on Venezuela in a friendly at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. The match drew a massive crowd.

Minister Abdurahiman, a Malappuram native and passionate football advocate, had led a delegation to Spain in 2023 to negotiate the deal. He had earlier declared that Messi's visit was slated for the last quarter of 2026.

Now, with Argentina’s plans confirmed elsewhere, the much-anticipated football spectacle appears to be indefinitely postponed.

For now, Kerala’s Messi mania will have to remain confined to television screens and dreams, as the wait to see the football legend in action on Kerala soil continues.