Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team are expected to be special guests this week as the southern African country Angola celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from Portugal.
The events started on Wednesday.
Angola staged a friendly match between the national team and Argentina on Friday, reportedly for a fee of $13 million, to attract the World Cup holder. The match will take place at Angola’s November 11 Stadium, named after Independence Day.
According to the Argentine Football Federation, the Argentine team will arrive in Angola on Thursday.
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The festivities in Angola started with a ceremony in Republic Square in the capital Luanda, where soldiers raised a giant Angolan flag in the presence of President João Lourenço.
Angola declared its independence from colonial ruler Portugal on November 11, 1975, but soon became embroiled in a devastating civil war that killed between 500,000 and 1 million people, eventually ending in 2002.
Oil-rich Angola has been governed by one party since independence, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.
Published on November 11, 2025
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