After months of uncertainty, negotiations, and even threats of legal action, the world champion Argentina football team has finally agreed to play in India.
At one point, the situation had escalated to potential legal battles. But for now, the matter is settled, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina will visit a neighboring country of Bangladesh for a match this November.
As previously announced, the game will take place in Kerala, though the opponent is yet to be finalized.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed on Friday that during the November FIFA window, Argentina will play three matches — one in India and two in Luanda, Angola.
This won’t be Argentina’s first visit to India. In 2011, they played a friendly against Venezuela at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, featuring Messi and his teammates.
Discussions for this tour began after the 2022 World Cup, following a surge of support from the subcontinent. The Argentina national team even posted gratitude on social media:
“Thank you Bangladesh, thank you Kerala, India, thank you Pakistan…your support was incredible.”
A few days later, Kerala’s Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman sent an official invitation to the AFA, paving the way for the match. After various negotiations, the Minister confirmed last November that Argentina would indeed play in Kerala.
Kerala signed a contract with Reporter Broadcasting Company as the sponsor, who finalized the agreement with the AFA. However, the tour hit a brief snag when the AFA’s chief commercial officer alleged breach of contract by the Kerala government, putting the tour in jeopardy.
The issue was resolved on 5 August, when Reporter Broadcasting’s managing director Anto Augustin confirmed that the contract with AFA was finalized and the full ₹130 crore had been paid on 6 June. He also warned that legal action would follow if the tour didn’t happen this year.
On Friday, AFA’s announcement confirmed the tour:
“For the rest of 2025, Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina will have two FIFA friendly windows. The first from October 6–16 will feature matches in the USA (opponents and cities to be decided). The second from November 10–18 will include matches in Luanda, Angola, and Kerala, India (opponent yet to be finalized).”
Outside of the national team tour, Messi is scheduled to visit India on a personal trip in December, starting in Kolkata and continuing to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, bringing excitement to fans across the country.
