KOCHI: The dream ended before kickoff. The Argentina national football team, led by Lionel Messi, will not be coming to Kerala in November — breaking the hearts of millions of fans who had already started painting their streets in blue and white.
The confirmation came early Saturday when the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced its November schedule. "The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Scaloni, will travel to Spain in November for training and then move to Luanda for their only friendly against Angola on Friday the 14th," AFA said in a statement. "After the match, the delegation will return to Europe to continue training until November 18," it said.
The announcement officially ends weeks of speculation — and a year-long state-backed effort — to bring the world champions to Kochi. Since August, Kerala’s Sports Department and its commercial partner, Reporter Broadcasting Company, had been negotiating with AFA to host a high-profile friendly between Argentina and Australia at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor. The match was to be held on November 17, preceded by Messi’s arrival on November 14 for fan events and roadshows.
Australia’s football federation also confirmed on Saturday that the Socceroos would play Venezuela and Colombia in the United States during the same FIFA window, removing any lingering doubt that Kerala was off their map.
The Kerala leg of Argentina’s Asia tour was billed as a Rs 200-crore mega event. Reporter Broadcasting Company, acting as the government’s commercial partner, claimed it had transferred Rs 130 crore to AFA on June 6, 2025, as part of the formal agreement. The remaining Rs 70 crore was earmarked for the renovation of the Kaloor stadium and logistics. This does not include the amount to be paid for Argentina's opponents, Australia.
The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium — home to Kerala Blasters — has been under massive renovation for months, with the Sports Kerala Foundation and GCDA pushing to upgrade the 1992-built venue to meet FIFA standards. A complete revamp of roofs, chairs, turf, and all other amenities was underway when the AFA’s confirmation effectively halted the momentum.
According to Reporter Broadcasting Company MD Anto Augustine, the cancellation was primarily due to procedural bottlenecks. "The matches in the FIFA window cannot happen without FIFA approval. The stadium’s clearance hasn’t come through yet," he said. "Also, the distance between Angola and India exceeds the five-hour flight limit permitted by FIFA, which made it impossible for AFA to schedule both matches in the same window," he told reporters in Kochi.
Earlier, the sponsors had even hinted at taking legal recourse if the world champions backed out of the deal. But on Saturday, Augustine struck a conciliatory tone. "We won’t ask AFA to return the Rs 130 crore. We’re in talks to shift the match to the March 2026 window instead," he said.
While both the state government and the sponsors remain hopeful, the March 2026 window raises new questions. The next FIFA World Cup will kick off barely three months later — from June 11 to July 19 — across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Football insiders say it’s unlikely that Argentina will risk a long-distance friendly so close to the tournament.
Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, however, insisted that the state’s efforts are far from over. "If we only wanted to bring Messi, we could have done that. But we wanted the entire team — the world champions — to come to Kerala," he said. "We met the FIFA Vice-President directly and worked hard for this. Unfortunately, the approvals were delayed by a few days," the minister said.
He also blamed negative reports about the stadium’s condition for "misleading" AFA and dampening the process.
Even as Kerala’s plans fall apart, India will still get a dose of Messi mania. The superstar has confirmed a four-city whirlwind tour in December — starting in Kolkata on December 13, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. The trip will culminate with a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15.
For now, Kochi’s grand dream of hosting Messi remains in limbo — not dead, but definitely delayed. As Anto put it, “We’ve lost the November game, but we are hopeful of the March 2026 window."
