The Argentina football team recently arrived at the airport during a layover, traveling to Miami for their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 game against Cape Verde. The reigning world champions have been on top of their form, winning all of opening group matches against Jordan, Algeria and Austria.
During their arrival at the Miami airport, the players looked relaxed but focused as they prepared for the knockout stages. Miami is a special place for this game as it serves a second home for captain Lionel Messi who plays his home games here in the Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
The transit stop gave the team a brief moment of fun before the heavy pressure of knockout football begins.
The routine security check took a funny turn when airport scanners found a strange item inside defender Cristian Romero’s bag. Security workers pulled out a large BBQ lighter, which Romero had somehow packed. This sudden discovery immediately made the whole team start laughing. Lionel Messi burst into laughter, unable to hide his amusement at his teammate’s weird choice.
Other players quickly joined in, making fun of the defender for wanting to grill meat during a major tournament. The video went quickly viral on social media.
Airport security doesn’t care if you’re Lionel Messi. 😭 pic.twitter.com/MsDD5x4rJJ
— RUTH 🇨🇦 (@it_Rutie) July 2, 2026
Another interesting moment was when Lionel Messi checked by the TSA officers at the airport. First, Messi underwent a heavy physical check with the officials treating him just like any other normal traveler.
The security staff then patted him down and looked through his bags closely to do their jobs. During the whole process, Messi stayed very calm and helpful. He patiently smiled through the long inspection, which made fans online very happy. People praised his grounded attitude while dealing with the strict American airport security measures at the gate.
Meanwhile, Argentina now turns its full attention to the match against Cape Verde in Miami. The world champions enter the game as clear favorites, having easily won their group with three straight victories. Messi has been scoring plenty of goals and looks very sharp.
However, Cape Verde cannot be overlooked. They are making history as a small nation reaching the knockouts while staying unbeaten against strong teams.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India?
Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website. Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will also be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.
