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Maradona to Messi: Why Bangladesh loves Argentina’s footballers

As Argentina plays in the World Cup, fans from Bangladesh and beyond show their devotion to the team, a passion rooted in Diego Maradona's 1986 triumph and sustained by Lionel Messi. Reports from Al Jazeera and the Buenos Aires Times highlight the lengths fans go to see their heroes, while also noting Bangladesh's own football struggles.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jun 29 – Jul 2, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

When Argentina plays in the World Cup, the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, fill with sky-blue-and-white flags and chants of "Argentina! Messi!" — a scene that could be mistaken for Buenos Aires, but is 17,000 kilometers away. Bangladesh has never qualified for a World Cup, yet the country's passion for Argentina is a decades-old phenomenon, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Coverage Comparison

Al Jazeera's report focuses on the historical roots of Argentina's popularity in Bangladesh, tracing it back to Diego Maradona's 1986 World Cup triumph. The Buenos Aires Times, meanwhile, offers a global perspective, profiling international fans who traveled to the United States to watch Argentina's final group match, including a Bangladeshi fan who paid $900 for a ticket.

Key Claims

The Maradona Legacy in Bangladesh

Al Jazeera reports that Argentina's support in Bangladesh dates back to the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona led Argentina to the title. Abdul Hai, a 50-year-old Dhaka resident, told Al Jazeera, "I fell in love with Maradona in 1986. I was very young, but I saw firsthand how people became crazy about him. His style, his passion, his skill – even the 'Hand of God' – everything captivated us like nothing else. He became a legend and a sensation for us."

Hai said the 36-year wait for Argentina's next World Cup win, which came under Messi in 2022, was worth it. "After I saw Messi holding the World Cup, I have no regret with football any more," he said.

International Fans at the World Cup

The Buenos Aires Times reports that fans from various countries, including Bangladesh, India, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and China, support Argentina at the World Cup. Sabid Ahamed, a 32-year-old Bangladeshi PhD student in the United States, paid $900 to see Argentina's final group match against Jordan. He was photographed outside the stadium a week before the game, wearing an Argentina shirt and accompanied by his wife and seven-month-old son, also in Argentina gear.

Ahamed said his support for Argentina began in 2010, but his father was a fan because of Maradona. "I'm very excited to see Messi," he told the Buenos Aires Times. "Since the World Cup in 2010 I was a big fan of Argentina, so I watched the matches on television, but it was my dream to watch them live, and this will be the first time so I am very excited."

Another fan, Baban Banerjee from India, paid $700 for his ticket. "I'm a diehard fan of his," the 42-year-old said. "I thought this is my last chance to see him because this is going to be his last World Cup, so I had to watch it."

The Buenos Aires Times also noted a Chinese family that has supported Argentina for over 30 years, and a fan from the Dominican Republic, Mercedes, who follows Messi rather than Argentina.

Bangladesh's Football Reality

Al Jazeera's report includes a note on Bangladesh's national men's team, which has a current FIFA ranking of 181. The report also mentions a lack of investment in sports infrastructure, including fields, facilities, and academies, which may explain why the country has never qualified for a World Cup despite its fervent football culture.

How each outlet told it

Al Jazeera as of Jul 2, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC

Framing: Argentina's popularity in Bangladesh — Informative and slightly critical

Facts Included:

The history of Argentina's support in Bangladesh dates back to the 1986 World Cup
Diego Maradona's influence on Argentina's popularity in Bangladesh
The current FIFA rankings of Bangladesh's national men's team
The lack of investment in sports infrastructure in Bangladesh

Read the source article →

Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC

Framing: International fans support Argentina in the World Cup — Positive and enthusiastic

Facts Included:

Fans from various countries support Argentina in the World Cup
A fan from Bangladesh, Sabid Ahamed, spent $900 to see Argentina's final group match
Another fan from India, Baban Banerjee, paid $700 for his ticket
A Chinese family has been supporting Argentina for over 30 years
A fan from the Dominican Republic, Mercedes, follows Messi rather than Argentina

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimFans from various countries support Argentina in the World Cup.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimA fan from Bangladesh, Sabid Ahamed, spent $900 to see Argentina's final group match.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimA fan from India, Baban Banerjee, paid $700 for his ticket to see Argentina's match.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimA Chinese family has been supporting Argentina for over 30 years.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimA fan from the Dominican Republic, Mercedes, follows Messi rather than Argentina.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jun 29, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe history of Argentina's support in Bangladesh dates back to the 1986 World Cup.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 2, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC
ClaimDiego Maradona's influence on Argentina's popularity in Bangladesh contributed to the country's support for Argentina.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 2, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC
ClaimBangladesh's national men's team has a current FIFA ranking of 181.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 2, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC
ClaimBangladesh lacks investment in sports infrastructure, including fields, facilities, and academies.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 2, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Al Jazeera, Buenos Aires Times 9 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15