Kerala to host national football team after 10 years, India to play Hong Kong in Kochi on March 31

The Jawaharlal Nehru International (JNI) Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi is set to host an international football match after ten years.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Sunday that India will take on Hong Kong, China in their last game of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round on March 31, 2026.

Kochi last hosted an international football match in March 2016 when India took on Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. The visitors won that match 2-1.

India are yet to win a match in the round and sit at the bottom of Group C with two draws and three defeats. Hong Kong beat India 1-0 when the sides met in Kowloon last June.

The Hong Kong tie is India’s last match of the qualification race. Khalid Jamil’s India are already out of contention, but a win will be highly significant at least from a FIFA standings perspective. India are ranked 141st in the world in the men’s game.

Two of India's earlier home qualifiers were played at different venues. India hosted Bangladesh (0-0) at Shillong in March 2025 and played Singapore (1-2) in Margao in October last year.