Putting speculations to rest, reigning world champions Argentina have announced that they will play a FIFA friendly against an unnamed opponent in Kerala in November this year.
The match will take place between November 10 and 18, and is likely to be played Kochi.
"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 Argentine football association wrote on its official X handle.
"The second, 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 read.
Kerala Sports Minister V Adburahiman too took to his social media accounts to announce the arrival of Argentina, a team that has a huge fan following in the state.
'World Champions Lionel Messi and his team will play in Kerala in November 2025,' the minister informed.
Abdurahiman later told reporters on Saturday: "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 Argentinian national football team has announced that the team will play in Kerala in November during the FIFA window. The team which won the World Cup under Lionel Messi, the whole squad, will play here.
"We thank the Argentina Football Association for this. It's a truly historical moment for Kerala football and the entire sports sector," Adburahiman said in a statement.
Expressing his happiness, Abdurahiman added, "A lot of effort has gone into bringing the Argentina football team to Kerala. We have started planning the rest of the arrangements and will soon discuss the details, including the venue, with the Chief Minister".
He said several lakh football fans in the state are eagerly awaiting the match. "Our intention is to provide a platform for fans to see Messi play in Kerala," he said.
The minister further stated that the Union sports ministry and the Reserve Bank of India have approved the event and that a government order had been issued in this regard.
Regarding the opposition team, he said, "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."
The Argentine football association had thanked their supporters from Kerala after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They beat France in penalties to win the title.
Earlier, Argentina's visit to the state was in doubt after the country's football association did not confirm the tour, blaming the Kerala government officials for the failure to ink a contract.
The move to bring Messi-led Argentina to Kerala gained steam in September 2024 when Adburahiman travelled to Spain to meet officials of the Argentine Football Association to work out the details.
Adburahiman had also downplayed the remarks of Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of the AFA (Argentina Football Association), saying the world champions' visit to Kerala would happen.
"Petersen is an important official of the AFA, but only in marketing. The agreement was signed by the AFA president (Claudio Tapia)," he said.
But Adburahiman's visit to Spain, which incurred Rs 13.04 lakh to the state exchequer, had sparked controversy, but the minister defended his trip saying the state has tie-ups on sporting front with many nations such as Spain, Australia and Cuba.
"The Central government has agreed to our sports policy. The visits included several officials, not just the sports minister. The 13 lakh covers expenses for the entire team," he had said.
Argentina's previous visit to India was in 2011 when they faced Venezuela at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.