Miami, United States – Singing to the beat of the drum, jumping and dancing with joyful abandon, sporting their famous light blue and white shirts, and waving large flags bearing images of their heroes, Argentinian football fans have announced their team’s arrival in Miami in grand fashion.A day before Argentina’s first knockout match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 – and their first fixture in the Sunshine State – the portion of Miami Beach known as Little Buenos Aires came to life as close to a thousand revellers geared up for Lionel Messi’s “homecoming” on Friday.The defending champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites will take on the fairytale team of the World Cup – the small African island nation of Cape Verde.The match at Miami Stadium will pit a team supported by one of the largest travelling fan bases of the tournament against an outfit that may not have strong backing in the stands but has endeared itself to the neutrals with its heroic performances.Among Argentinian supporters, though, there’s no room for sympathy for the team punching above its weight.For Adrian Elizondo, the logic is simple: “Messi deserves to win another World Cup.”“It’s Messi’s last World Cup and since he’s the greatest player of all time, he deserves to walk away …
