Lionel Messi will not play in India after 14 years as Argentina’s friendly match in Kerala will not be a part of the schedule anymore. The world champions will only play one fixture in November. The match, which was supposed to be scheduled for November 17, 2025, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi.
The game will now take place during FIFA’s next international match window, according to a post on social media by Anto Augustine, the managing director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, the sponsor of the friendly.
Mr. Anto released a post on Facebook saying that there was a delay in getting permission from FIFA for the match. The decision was reportedly taken after a meeting with the sponsor and the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The match will take place in the next window which will be announced soon.
Ever since the world champions announced their tour to Kerala, there has been a lot of confusion about it. Even the Minister himself at one point said that the match had been called off, but the AFA confirmed that the team will play in Kochi. Although, there have been media reports saying that the team would play in March 2026.
The Argentinian legend’s visit to India was in 2011 when the team played Venezuela in a friendly match at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium. However, the fans do not remain disappointed as Messi would do a “GOAT Tour” and host public events in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad in December, confirmed by the legend.
He commented that it was an “Honor” to revisit the “passionate football nation” country where he played 14 years ago. “It is such an honour for me to make this trip. India is a very special country, and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago, the fans were fantastic. “India is a passionate football nation, and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game,” Messi said in an official statement.
Messi will begin his tour starting from Kolkata on December 13 and the trip will end with a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the tour, there will be meet and greet sessions, football events scouting for young talent and musical concerts celebrating the legend.
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Lionel Messi has announced his 4-city tour in India. It is confirmed that Messi will begin his tour in Kolkata where he will be playing at the Salt Lake stadium. The GOAT cup exhibition match will take place which will also include Indian legends like Sourav Ganguly, Leander Paes and Bhaichung Bhutia on December 13.
Followed on with his visit to Kolkata, Messi is also reported to visit Ahmedabad. He will be attending a private gala hosted by the Adani foundation which will be primarily focusing on the sports education and the youth development of the country. Since this event is an invite-only gala, there will not be any sale of tickets to the public.
Later, Lionel Messi is scheduled to visit Mumbai on December 14, 2025, at the Wankhede stadium which will include events like a Padel GOAT cup, football masterclasses scouting young talent and celebrity appearances from Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar.
At last, Lionel Messi will visit the capital, Delhi where the event will be taken place at the Arun Jaitley stadium on December 15, 2025. The tickets will be exclusively available on the official event ticketing platform, District by Zomato.
Written by: Atin Kevin