Imagine what a beautiful evening it would have been in Kochi. The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, usually a sea of yellow, draped in the blue and white of Argentina. Fans filling up every available seat, and a multitude that did not secure tickets, beaming outside the venue. Almost every t-shirt in the crowd bearing one name, one number — Messi 10.

That day should have been today — November 17, 2025 — at least as per the Government of Kerala and a private broadcaster, it had introduced as sponsor of the ambitious project to bring Leo Messi-led World Champions Argentina to the state for a friendly football match.

Argentina were expected to fly to Kerala straight from Luanda, where they played a friendly with Angola on the account of the African nation's 50th anniversary of Independence on November 14. Australia were named as Argentina's opponents for the friendly in Kochi, though the Socceroos never made an announcement.

Australia played a friendly with Venezuela in Houston, Texas, on November 15, and as sturdy as the Aussies are, they must have been extremely jetlagged and weary for another 90 minutes within 48 hours. Luckily for them, their next match is also in the United States. Australia are scheduled to play Colombia in a friendly in New York on November 19, while Argentina are expected to be camping in Spain till Tuesday, when the November window closes.

Confirmation of the cancellation of the November 17 friendly in Kerala came almost a month ago. Kerala's Sports Minister V Abdurahiman and the sponsor said the plan fell through because FIFA, the global football watchdog, did not approve the venue.

They have repeatedly claimed that the project is still on. The minister and the sponsor said they would try to bring Messi and Argentina in during the next FIFA window, which runs from March 23 to 31, 2026. But in the same window, Argentina play Spain in the Finalissima, the intercontinental clash between champions of Europe and South America. That match is scheduled to take place at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on March 27. Who knows, maybe they will fly the same night to Kochi and play a friendly here before the window shuts on March 31.

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