Messi’s Argentina to play in Kerala? Here’s all you need to know

India was still recovering from the news of Messi finally visiting India in December as part of the GOAT Tour of India 2025, when the Argentina Football Association (AFA) announced that the World Champions will play a FIFA friendly match in Kerala in November this year. The announcement came in the early hours of Saturday.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina will play a friendly match in Kerala between November 10 and 18 as the Albiceleste prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in North America. The opponent has not been revealed yet.

Messi’s Argentina will play in India coming November

AFA took to their official social media platforms on August 23 to announce the list of their upcoming international friendlies in October and November. The team led by head coach Lionel Scaloni will play in the United States between October 6 and 14 and in Luanda (Angola) and Kerala (India) between November 10 and 18.

The rivals for the November leg of international friendlies is yet to be finalised, according to the official page.

While chances of Argentina visiting Kerala this year seemed bleak, this comes after prolonged efforts by the Kerala Government to bring the national team of Argentina to the southern state.

Sharing the good news on social media, Kerala sports minister V Adburahiman wrote, “World Champions Lionel Messi and his team will play in Kerala in November 2025.”

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina received immense support from South Asia, especially Kerala. AFA took notice of the fans and their dedication to the Messi-led team and talks to visit the state began soon after.

In a post acknowledging the support from Kerala, after being crowned champions in Qatar in December 2022, AFA had written on social media, “Thank you Bangladesh. Thank you Kerala, India, Pakistan. Your support was wonderful!”

Kerala took its first step towards bringing Argentina to their state when Sports Minister Adburahiman met the officials of AFA in Spain last year. The deal seemed to have fallen through later after issues related to signing of contracts between the two parties.

The news therefore, comes as a pleasant surprise as fans in India are beyond excited to welcome the star-studded team to their country. While the tour is confirmed, the players who will accompany the national team as part of the squad is not known.

Argentina’s visit to Kerala in November will be their second India visit. Their first visit came in 2011 in Kolkata when they faced Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium. The match also marked Messi’s first game as Argentina captain, making Kolkata witness the start of what would be a historic reign.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.