May 14, 2026 01:11 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Vijay-led TVK wins Tamil Nadu floor test as AIADMK split plays out | Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram | PM Modi halves convoy size after austerity call | Mulayam Singh's younger son Prateek Yadav dies at 38 | Protests erupt in Delhi after NEET UG 2026 cancellation over alleged paper leak | AIADMK cracks widen after Tamil Nadu defeat; faction backs Vijay-led TVK government | Himanta Biswa Sarma takes oath as Assam CM for second term after BJP’s landslide win | Bengali rights activist Garga Chatterjee arrested over alleged provocative remarks ahead of assembly polls | No return to full WFH yet: IT firms unlikely to change hybrid work model despite PM Modi’s appeal | Suvendu Adhikari Cabinet clears BSF land transfer, census rollout, Ayushman Bharat in Bengal
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi played an exhibition match in Kolkata in 2011. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Lionel Messi's visit to India is now confirmed: Argentina to play friendly in November

| @indiablooms | Aug 23, 2025, at 01:14 pm

The Argentine Football Association on Friday confirmed that the national side, featuring Lionel Messi, will play an international friendly in Kerala in November.

In a statement released on the official website, the Association said: "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 friendlies in November, from the 10th to the 18th, will be played in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala, India (opponents to be determined)," the statement said.

Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman said a top team is being planned to be invited to the state to compete against the world champion side.

"We will select a team from among FIFA’s top 50. Several teams have approached us. The Australian football team has expressed interest, and we also have a sports exchange agreement with them. Similarly, three or four other teams have contacted us," Abdurahiman was quoted as saying by India Today.

"Initially, AFA planned it for 2026. However, we contacted them and requested that they hold the match in Kerala this year. Now, AFA has officially confirmed it. We intend to bring the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup," the minister said.

"Our intention is to provide a platform for fans to see Messi play in Kerala," he said.

Messi and his men beat France in 2022 to win the World Cup in Qatar.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.