The Government of Javier Milei defined that the arrival of the Argentine National Team after the final of the 2026 World Cup will have a strictly protocolar character at Ezeiza International Airport, setting aside the possibility of a massive welcome and dismissing the national holiday that had been announced initially.
The decision came after the Argentine Football Association (AFA) communicated to the Casa Rosada that there is no desire within the team to hold celebrations, in the context following the defeat against Spain in the decisive match.
The presidential announcement of the holiday, which had always been conditioned on the players' willingness, was rendered ineffective after that communication.
President Javier Milei and the National Team
The change of plans responds both to the team's emotional state and to the reduced composition of the delegation returning to the country.
According to reports, the welcome at Ezeiza will be organized in a format similar to that used for the arrival of heads of state.
The ceremony will include the participation of authorities from Aerolíneas Argentinas and the Ministry of National Security, headed by Alejandra Monteoliva, in addition to a guard of Granaderos who will escort the footballers.
However, the Government emphasized that there will be no members of the Government in the operation because President Javier Milei's idea has always been not to politicize.
The national team's plane
The flight transporting the delegation will land this Monday at 7 PM at Ezeiza International Airport, coming from New Jersey and operated by Aerolíneas Argentinas. In parallel, a second aircraft is transporting the players' families on the same route.
The AFA had already anticipated that not all members of the squad would return to the country, although without detailing names. “Some players from the squad will depart directly from the United States to various destinations to rejoin their clubs or begin their rest period,” the entity indicated.
In this context, it was revealed that the only two absences are those of captain Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, who did not board the flight back to Argentina. The rest of the delegation will arrive in the coming hours.
The combination of an incomplete squad and the players' mood following the decisive match ultimately ruled out any type of mass celebration.
