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

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