23 September, Saturday: A friendly game will be held with the Argentia team in Kochi from November 10 to 18, 2025. Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman announced the thrilling news after conversations with officials from the Argentine Football Association (AFA). This marks Argentina's second trip to India, as they last played in Kolkata in 2011.
The Argentine Football Association announced X, ..“The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Scaloni, will have two FIFA for the remainder of 2025. The first, in October, from the 6th to the 14th, will be played in the United States," the statement read. "The second, FIFA friendlies in November, from the 10th to the 18th, will be played in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala, India.” The opponents are yet to be determined.
Kerala's sports minister, V Abdurahiman, announced in a Facebook post on Saturday morning (August 23, 2025) that Messi will come to Kerala with his 2022 World Cup-winning team for a friendly match during FIFA’s international window in November. He additionally posted a screenshot of the AFA’s statement about the team's two international exhibition matches set for the rest of 2025. Former Indian international and football legend I.M. Vijayan described Messi’s impending arrival as the biggest event that will inspire thousands of children to take up the sport, and a dream come true for millions of fans in Kerala.
At first, fans were disappointed when the previous schedule unveiled by the Argentina Football Federation (AFA) in May excluded a visit to Kerala, despite Mr. Abdurahiman’s statement in November of the previous year that the Argentina national team with Messi would hold two exhibition matches against Japan and Qatar in Kerala in 2025. Responsibility was subsequently attributed to a company in Kochi, which Mr. Abdurahiman claimed had an agreement with AFA and was accountable for the preparations.
