FIFA World Cup 2026 fever grips Thiruvananthapuram as Messi and Ronaldo fans prepare for football’s biggest stage

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Football fans from Barton Hill colony put out different hoardings supporting their favorite sides for the 2026 FIFA World Cup | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

It is half past seven in the evening. A group of youngsters from Barton Hill Colony near Law College Junction, who call themselves the Barton Hill Boys, inch towards the flagpole. There is no time to waste. Some are stringing up lights, others are erecting flex boards around towering hoardings of Argentine legend Lionel Messi kissing the World Cup trophy and billboards awash in Brazil’s trademark yellow, featuring Neymar Jr and company.

The FIFA World Cup is here, and football fans in Thiruvananthapuram are riding the wave.

From flex wars and oversized banners to local tournaments and World Cup quizzes, the State capital is firmly in the grip of football fever as the tournament kicks off at Mexico City Stadium on June 12. Fans are organising public screenings to watch the action unfold live from the quadrennial tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Prediction contests have also sprung up across the Technopark corridor.

“It is a festival for us and our families. From mothers who contribute money for flex boards to youngsters who wake up early to watch matches at screenings, everyone is involved,” says Vinayan VS, administrator of the Barton Hill Boys Instagram page. “We have spent more than ₹3 lakh on the cut-outs alone.”

His commitment runs deeper. “I resigned from my bank job last month and plan to take up my next role only after the tournament ends. I want to watch every game this year, even if it means sleepless nights.”

“For us, the love for football came from playing with the elder boys in our locality,” says Akash AG, a physical education trainer and footballer.

Nowhere is the World Cup frenzy more visible than in Thiruvananthapuram’s coastal belt — Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Poovar, Shanghumugham, Valiyathura, Cheriyathura, Vettucaud and Poonthura — regions that have produced several State and na