On Saturday, July 4, 2026, around 300 football fans gathered early morning at Amartya Sen Udyan, a small park in Kolkata, West Bengal, to watch the World Cup match between defending champions Argentina and Cape Verde on a big screen. The gathering marked a peak moment for the Kolkata Argentina Football Fan Club, the city’s largest fan club devoted to Argentina.

Fans wore the number 10 jersey of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who recently turned 39 and was competing alongside other veteran stars like Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kolkata native and lifelong Argentina supporter Debjoy Biswas remarked, “It’s one thing to watch Messi play on TV and another to see him from 10 metres away.”

Kolkata’s deep football heritage is highlighted by the words of the late Olympian Subimal “Chuni” Goswami (1938-2020), who said, “Together with literature and the arts, it is football that has made Kolkata distinctive and special to the rest of the country.” The city’s premier football venue, the 85,000-capacity Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as Salt Lake Stadium, features a quote by Swami Vivekananda at its metro station: “You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the [Bhagavad] Gita.” This reflects the cultural importance placed on physical vigor and competitive spirit.

Looking ahead, the 135th edition of a major football tournament will begin in Kolkata on Sunday, July 26, 2026, a week after the World Cup final. This event will be held entirely in eastern India, where football enjoys its strongest following.

Fans and the city alike continue to celebrate Messi and the World Cup, underscoring Kolkata’s status as South Asia’s greatest football city.

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