In total, the directors of the
Argentine Football Association
(AFA) had to consider around a dozen offers.
For the most part, they came from the most lucrative emerging markets:
United States, China, Australia, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates
.
The only unusual offer was from Bangladesh.
Argentina's first two games after the World Cup were a pair of home exhibitions in March.
The bidding for two games in June has been intense.
Photo Nicolas Aguilera/Associated Press
Each of the bidders wanted the same thing — the chance to host
Lionel Messi
and Argentina in one of two friendly periods this summer — but each had their own motivation.
Some were inspired by the sporting prestige of stepping on the same field as the
world champions.
For others, the potential benefits veered into the realm of the political.
However, they were all willing to pay for the privilege.
All the offers promised the AFA not only a cut of ticket sales, television rights and commercial revenue from the matches, but also an
exorbitant bonus for its participation.
Five months after winning the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina has become
the most requested rival
and perhaps the most expensive in international football.
The current price of a single match with the world champion has risen so high that
$5 million
is just the starting point, according to officials with knowledge of the talks.
The identities of the winning bids for the two June games are not yet official.
The AFA is still evaluating its options and will only make a firm decision as soon as
Lionel Scaloni,
the national coach, indicates that he feels comfortable with the plans.
However, sources from several of the national associations involved have suggested that the most likely schedule is for Argentina to play their first match in
China
– possibly against
Australia
, pending Scaloni's approval – and then travel to
Indonesia
to face a host team that is currently ranked 149th in the world.
Those clashes illustrate how the benefits of a meeting with the reigning world champion go far beyond the sporting.
Following their victory in Qatar, Argentina's cachet is such that Australian rules football officials have been encouraged to agree to a match being held in China in the hope of strengthening political and economic ties between the two countries, according to an official implicated in the case. the conversations.
The Indonesian game could be considered an equally pragmatic reward:
Argentina last month stepped in as host of this year's
Under-20 World Cup
after Indonesia was stripped of the tournament due to protests against Israel's participation.
However, that schedule would imply giving up a match to be played in the United States, even for the moment.
In recent years, the AFA has embarked on a plan to increase its business revenue and reach — which has historically dwarfed its arch-rival Brazil — as part of a strategic attempt to capitalize on its global appeal
.
Recent successes have contributed to this.
After lifting the
Copa América trophy in 2021,
their first major international honor since 1995 and Messi's first championship with his country, Argentina was able to claim
more sponsors and partners
than any other national team on the planet.
That number expanded again after Qatar.
In the months since the World Cup, the AFA has signed agreements with four more partners, mainly in India and Bangladesh.
There has also been a cascading effect in the Argentine national league:
has more sponsors for this season than at any time in its history.
However,
the United States
is "Argentina's priority for the next four years," according to Leandro Petersen, AFA's commercial and marketing director.
To deepen that connection, the association plans to build a $10 million training facility in North Bay Village, Florida, a tiny ledge between Miami and Miami Beach, to serve as a gathering point for its national teams during international
breaks
.
The complex may be just the first in a series of facilities in the United States:
the AFA is also considering establishing a
physical presence
in several other cities as part of what Petersen called a
"landing strategy."
Argentina is scheduled to play on American soil in 2024 and 2026 — first to defend its Copa América crown and then its world championship — but the AFA would like to make the team's visits an annual event
.
It is likely that it will host at least one game in North America in 2025 as part of its World Cup preparations and could even look to face Mexico
-
a team that now plays most of its friendlies in the United States - and the US team that year.
Most likely, neither of the two countries will reject that opportunity.
After all, Argentina is now the biggest show in town:
They are not only the world champion, but also, thanks to their exhilarating and harrowing journey through Qatar, the most attractive team on the planet.
It seems that sharing the pitch with Messi and company is almost priceless.
c.2023 The New York Times Company
look too
The purifying power of Lionel Messi's signature
For Messi and Argentina, the (extra) wait was worth it