Emiliano Sala will be cremated at around 3:30pm local time (6:30 GMT). Fighting back tears, Sala’s heartbroken sister Romina wrapped herself in an oversized grey hoodie and ignored the press outside her home, before she was driven to her brother’s wake.
Outside, fans draped a banner saying, “Emi, You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo have travelled to Argentina for the funeral.
Other attendees include Nantes defender Nicolas Pallois and general secretary Loic Morin.
Grieving locals have spoken of their pain.
Around 3000 locals, many wearing the red and black shirt of the local side with EMI on the back began arriving at around 7am local time.
Outside, fans draped a banner saying, “Emi, You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo have travelled to Argentina for the funeral.
Other attendees include Nantes defender Nicolas Pallois and general secretary Loic Morin.
Grieving locals have spoken of their pain.
Lucia Torres, who lives nearby, said: “It’s as if he was a member of my family.
“It’s something I can’t understand nor accept because it hurts so much. The town has been in darkness since 21 January.”
Sala died when his private plane crashed in the English Channel en route from Nantes to Cardiff on 21 January.
His remains were discovered in the crashed Piper Malibu, on February 3 after a private search team found the plane.
The footballer’s remains were flown into Ezeiza International Airport Buenos Aires on Friday.
Sala’s boyhood team, San Martin de Progreso, posted an emotional tribute on Facebook, saying: “We are waiting for you…like the first day you left but this time to stay with us forever.
“You went and you are an example for everyone.
“Eternally in our hearts.”
Sala’s aunt Mirta Taffarel said: “I would like to find a responsible person…someone who says to me ‘this happened’ but, well, it seems this was just an accident.”
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is continuing to investigate how the plane crashed.
The remains of Pilot David Ibbotson are yet to be found and the wreckage of the plane may not be brought to the surface.
Weather conditions are currently too bad to recover the plane from the seabed off Guernsey.