Quarter Finals FIFA World Cup 2026

A World Cup Morning

I had hoped to watch the 6:30 a.m. FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland on the large public screen at the shopping mall near me. Instead, I discovered that the match was being shown only as a paid screening inside one of the cinemas in the complex, with tickets starting at ₹200 plus taxes. Unfortunately, I learned this only after arriving.

Rather than buy a ticket, I decided to ride to Vallarpadam where I had wrote a prayer request for our Messi. It seemed the most natural thing to do once the opportunity to watch the match live was not there anymore. The rain had eased for a while, making the journey peaceful. I reached much earlier than expected and spent the time attending two consecutive Holy Masses.

By the end of the morning, Argentina had secured a 3–1 victory. It was also the first match of this World Cup in which Lionel Messi did not score a goal. What began as a disappointing change of plans turned into a quiet and memorable morning of prayer, followed by good news for Messi and Argentina.