Kerala’s General Education Department and Chief Minister announced a statewide holiday for schools and colleges on Monday July 20 2026 so students could watch the Argentina-Spain FIFA World Cup final [Hindustan Times] [The Hindu]. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:30 a.m. IST with no alteration to existing examination dates [The Hindu]. CPI(M) leader V. Sivankutty had publicly urged the measure and suggested offsetting the day by converting a future Saturday into a working day [Hindustan Times].