Kerala football fans‘ hopes of watching Lionel Messi and the World Cup-winning Argentine team play on their home soil have been dashed, as Argentina’s 2026 schedule reveals matches planned in China, Qatar, and Africa instead. This development comes after Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman and his team had announced potential exhibition matches in Kerala following discussions with the Argentina Football Association in Spain last November.The last time Messi played in India was in 2011, during an international friendly match against Venezuela at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. The match attracted numerous football enthusiasts from Kerala, including current CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby.The districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode in Kerala have long been strongholds of support for the Argentine national team. This support intensified after Argentina’s victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar under Messi’s leadership.Abdurahiman, who hails from Malappuram, had been actively working to bring Messi to Kerala. Following his delegation’s visit to Spain last year, he had announced the possibility of matches in the last quarter of 2026.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?The timing of the proposed matches was significant, as Kerala is scheduled to hold its government elections in April/May 2026, coinciding with the next FIFA World Cup.

The football-loving state will now have to wait longer to see if their dream of hosting Messi and the Argentine team can materialize in the future. The current schedule of Argentina’s matches does not include any games in Kerala.The efforts made by the Kerala government and Minister Abdurahiman to bring the World Cup champions to the state have not yielded the desired results. The football enthusiasts in Kerala, known for their passionate support of the Argentine team, will need to continue their wait to see their favorite players in action on home ground.