Lionel Messi led Argentina are set to play in India, confirmed the country's football association on Saturday, August 23. The highly-anticipated match is scheduled to take place in Kerala between November 10 and 18, the AFA announced.
The Argentina football team's side's visit to India has been works for a while. It all began with Kerala government announcing that they were trying to bring the side to play a friendly match in India before the FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite various announcements, no specific dates has been given by the state's sport body.
However, the Argentina federation has announced the timeframe of its visit to India. This will be the second instance in nearly a decade and a half that side will play on Indian soil. The last time was in 2011, when Argentina, featuring Lionel Messi, played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Messi enjoyed the support of 70,000 crowd in that game against Venezuela with his smooth skills and an assist to Nicolas Otamendi.
"The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Scaloni, will have two FIFA friendlies in the remainder of 2025. The first, in October, from the 6th to the 14th, will be played in the United States (opponents and cities to be determined). The second, a FIFA friendly in November, from the 10th to the 18th, will be played in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala, India (opponents to be determined)," the AFA said in a statement on Saturday morning.
Details of Lionel Messi's India visit
The footballing legend and his team are reported to take trip around the country, according to a report by PTI earlier in August. Messi is expected to travel Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, Culminating in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At that time, the report suggested that there will be no stop for Lionel Messi in Kerala. However, according to he AFA release, the Argentine team is scheduled to play a game in Kerala between November 10-18. The opponent team for that game has been decided yet.
Lionel Messi's red-hot form in 2025
Lionel Messi has been having a fantastic 2025 season in the Major League Soccer, where he plays for Inter Miami. Messi recently became the leading goal scorer and assist provider in Inter Miami history. With that he etched a unique record of becoming the leading scorer and provider for three different teams for the first time in football history.