After months of uncertainty, it is finally official — Lionel Messi and Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad will visit Kerala in November 2025 for an international friendly.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed the news in an official statement on X, saying:
“Information about the 2025 international friendlies that will face the national team led by Lionel Scaloni: In FIFA date for the month of October, between the dates 6th and the 14th, will be played in the United States, and for the month of November, between 10th and 18th, in Luanda (Angola) and Kerala (India). Rivals to be determined.”
Adding to this, AFA India posted: “The Argentine National Team will visit Kerala this November as part of its international friendlies! A project we began over a year ago in Madrid with the Kerala Govt now opens a new chapter in AFA’s global expansion.”
This marks the strongest confirmation yet after nearly a year of speculation and setbacks. Earlier, there were reports of delayed sponsor payments and even claims that AFA attempted to push the tour to October 2026, sparking doubts over the feasibility of the project.
Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman, who has been driving the effort since November 2024, said the match will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Official confirmation has been received via official mail that the Argentina team, which won the Qatar World Cup, including Lionel Messi, will arrive in Kerala for a friendly match during the November 2025 FIFA International Window,” he posted on X.
Calling it a “historic moment”, he added: “The two options we had were either October or November. In between, they tried to push it to next year, but we stayed adamant in our demand as we aim to bring the 2022 World Cup winners here.”
With this confirmation, Kerala is set to host one of the greatest footballers of all time, making it a landmark moment for Indian football fans.
