The Kerala government on Sunday declared a holiday for all educational institutions in view of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain, scheduled to begin after midnight on Sunday. The announcement was for all the schools and higher educational institutions.
As Argentina battle it out for their third title against Spain in New Jersey, Kerala students will have time to watch and enjoy the final. General Education Minister N Samsudheen announced the holiday for schools through a social media statement. “Happy now, children?” the minister wrote on social media. “Considering the request of students who are football enthusiasts, the Kerala General Education Department has declared a holiday on Monday (July 20) for all schools under the department in view of the FIFA World Cup final to be played after midnight tonight,” he said.
Roji M John, State Higher Education Minister, also announced the holiday for colleges and professional educational institutions. “On the occasion of the FIFA World Cup final, as per the direction of the Chief Minister, a holiday is declared for higher education institutions in Kerala, including professional colleges on Monday,” he said. “Let’s thoroughly enjoy the final!” he added.
CM V D Satheesan says decision comes after students’ wish
Meanwhile, Kerala CM V D Satheesan stated that the decision was taken to fulfil students’ wish of watching the match. “Children were asking how they could go to school after losing sleep watching the match. In this situation, the government has decided to declare a holiday for all educational institutions in the state, including professional colleges,” he said.
Argentina-Spain battle it out for glory
Argentina and Spain will battle it out for World Cup glory when the defending champions take on the 2010 winners at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 20 (IST). Argentina have been in sublime form in the tournament, having registered several come-from-behind wins.ย Spain have been brilliant too, having recently defeated favourites France in the semifinal. They had also beaten Portugal and Belgium in their previous knockout fixtures earlier.ย
Speaking before the all-important game, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni stated that the team is preparing for this game “just like in every match, with a lot of desire for things to go well for us, with a willingness to analyse the opponent. We need to bring out our best version to try to win.”
โI think we are good, beyond the things that we can improve on, like always. We are a team thatโs already well known by our opponents, and thatโs why it has double merit to have reached where we have. Weโll try to win that final,” he added.
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