It's official: Messi-led Argentina to play a friendly in Kerala in November

KOCHI: On one moment, off the next the Messi-coming-to-Kerala saga has kept fans on edge for nearly a year. Now, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed that Lionel Messi and Argentina's World Cup-winning will come to Kerala between November 10 and 18, 2025. 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, according to the official AFA announcement on X. Adding to this, AFA India posted on X: 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. The announcements mark the strongest signal yet that Kerala will host Messi, after months of wrangling over finances and scheduling. Reports of delayed sponsor payments, and even allegations from the state that AFA was attempting to shift the tour to October 2026, had earlier cast doubt on the project. The Messi-ah of the beautiful game Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, who has spearheaded the effort since November 2024, confirmed that the venue will be 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. This is a historic moment. 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. India could get to see more of Messi The minister added that several top-50 FIFA teams had expressed interest in playing the friendly, with Australia emerging as the frontrunner. Other teams that are in the fray to play against Argentina are Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The officials are also trying to bring a Brazilian team. For Kerala, where the ArgentinaBrazil rivalry is woven into football folklore, Messi's presence would be nothing short of momentous. The last time Argentina played in India was in 2011 when they faced Venezuela at Kolkota's Salt Lake Stadium. FIFA World Cup: Creator and his creation Adding to the buzz is Messi's separate stand-alone trip to India in December 2025. From December 12 to 15, the Argentine captain is expected to visit Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and New Delhi, where he will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That means India could see Messi twice in two monthsfirst in Kerala with Argentina, and then across four cities as part of a personal tour.