SINGAPORE, March 26 — Singapore will host Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team in early 2026 for an exhibition match, as part of a newly announced partnership between the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and HSBC, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported today.

The agreement also includes an exhibition match in India this October, CNA said.

HSBC will have branding and activation rights across both countries, offering its customers exclusive benefits such as match tickets, fan experiences, and meet-and-greet sessions with the world champions.

The opponent for Argentina’s Singapore match has yet to be confirmed.

This will be Messi’s second scheduled visit to Singapore with the national team.

In 2017, he was expected to feature in a friendly but left shortly after arriving to prepare for his wedding, leading to fan disappointment.

More recently, he stayed on the bench during Inter Miami’s friendly in Hong Kong last year, citing injury concerns, sparking calls for refunds from frustrated supporters.