Burkina Faso arrives hours before Argentina friendly after travel chaos

Burkina Faso's delegation landed at Ezeiza airport at 15:43 local time on Saturday, barely five hours before the 21:00 kickoff against Argentina at the Monumental stadium. The team had been stranded in Casablanca, Morocco, since the charter flight scheduled for September 30 was cancelled without notice by the airline.

The Burkinabe Football Federation said the sports ministry, federation and embassy in Morocco worked to find an alternative route. An Airbus A330 eventually completed the 9,231 km journey in 11 hours 42 minutes, flying directly from Casablanca to Buenos Aires.

“It is a great opportunity for these young players to demonstrate their capacity on an international stage and defend the national colours with pride.”

Several senior players refused to travel after the initial cancellation, citing accumulated fatigue, despite meetings with federation and government officials. The federation acknowledged the squad would be without "several key players" and confirmed youngsters were called up to fill the roster.

Reports indicate a large portion of Burkina Faso's U23 team, which had a friendly against Mali scheduled for Monday, joined the trip on an emergency basis. The only originally called-up player confirmed in the travelling party is 18-year-old midfielder Bebel Doumbia, who plays for Rapid 1923 in Romania.

Argentina, coming off a 4-0 win over Bolivia on Wednesday, will use the match to continue blooding new talent after the 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain. Coach Lionel Scaloni may give minutes to Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro, while Enzo Fernández returns from suspension. The game will be broadcast on Telefe and TyC Sports.