Thiruvananthapuram: Diehard football fans across the country have started planning for a trip to Kerala in November after the Argentina Football Association (AFA) confirmed that a full-strength Argentine side under captain Lionel Messi will play a FIFA exhibition match in the Indian state.
The men in blue and white will not take on an Indian side though. Kerala’s sports minister V Abdurahiman said that the ‘Socceroos’ from Australia – ranked 24th in the world by FIFA – are willing to travel to India for the match. The match will take place on any day between November 10 and 18 and the minister said that two other ‘elite’ teams are also under consideration.
Australia will be no pushover. The country has participated in the FIFA World Cup finals on seven occasions since 1974. The Socceroos have made it to all the finals since 2006. In 2006 and 2022, they reached the Round of 16 and have already secured their place in the upcoming 2026 World Cup from the Asia zone.
Abdurahiman has said that football lovers will get to watch the game from the stadium, no matter who plays against Argentina. The government is expecting a sold-out game and is planning alternate arrangements for the public to see the Argentina team up close, the minister said.
“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 (rivals 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 (rivals to be determined),” the AFA said in a statement.
