MIAMI, USA – Singing to the beat of the drums, jumping up and dancing happily, donning the famous light blue and white shirts and waving large flags with portraits of their heroes, Argentine soccer fans announced their team’s arrival in Miami with great fanfare.
On Friday, the day before Argentina’s first final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and its first match in the Sunshine State, the part of Miami Beach known as Little Buenos Aires came alive with nearly 1,000 revelers preparing for the “homecoming” of Lionel Messi.
The defending champions and one of the pre-tournament favorites will face a World Cup fairytale team, the small African island nation of Cape Verde.
The game at Miami Stadium will pit a team supported by the tournament’s largest traveling fan base against a team that may not have strong support from the stands but is beloved by neutrals for its heroic performances.
However, among Argentine supporters, there is no room for sympathy for a team that outperforms its ability.
For Adrian Elizondo, the logic is simple. “Messi deserves to win another World Cup.”
“This is Messi’s last World Cup and he is the best player of all time, so it makes sense that he leaves with another trophy,” Elizondo told Al Jazeera.
Elizondo believes there is more to Argentina’s success than Messi.
“We have great players, great coaches and tens of thousands of people supporting our teams. We are making a big difference.”
One look at Miami Beach’s party atmosphere only strengthened Elizondo’s case.
At least 30,000 Argentines live in Miami, where Messi has been playing club soccer since 2023, according to local census data.
Add to that an additional 20,000 fans following the team as they look to defend their title in the United States, and it’s clear that Miami is the land of Messi.
Crowds in North Beach, home to decades-old Argentinian restaurants and cafes, began gathering more than 24 hours before kickoff and showed no signs of slowing down as the night wore on.
Fans, ranging from young children to supporters in their 70s, could be seen walking towards the center of Little Buenos Aires.
A small group of enthusiasts started singing “muchachos” (a famous Argentine soccer anthem) and soon hundreds of others joined in.
While the lyrics speak of the heartbreak of past heroes who were eliminated from World Cup finals, there was a festive mood among the fans, especially as Messi and his team emulated the hero Diego Maradona, who broke a 36-year title drought and won the World Cup trophy four years ago in Qatar.
For Argentine fans, Maradona and Messi are generally seen as master and disciple. It’s part of their football folklore and is reinforced at every opportunity.
In Miami, as men, women and children danced in the streets, a group of supporters wearing Argentine soccer club Newell’s Old Boys shirts stood proudly in front of a banner linking the club to two national heroes.
Jorge Martinelli traveled to Miami from the club’s home base of Rosario with friends and proudly shared some facts about his hometown.
“Messi was born in Rosario and played in Newell’s youth team before joining Barcelona, while Maradona came to the club in 1993,” he told Al Jazeera.
Are there any other connections between the two iconic captains? “Yes, it’s a cosmic connection,” Martinelli said.
“Many people here believe that Maradona is leading the team from heaven,” he quipped.
As Martinelli explained the spiritual connection between the two, fans let off crackers to celebrate the return of the son of Miami’s favorite soccer player to his adopted home.
The player, who lives in Rosario, said that Messi does not want to think about his future after retiring from international football.
“There will be a big hole in the national team, just like what happened after Maradona,” he said.
But for now, he believes Messi is the favorite to do what not even the great Maradona could do: successfully defend his title.
“He (Messi) is here, he’s playing, Maradona is watching.”
