The Indian senior men’s football team will play its last match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers against Hong Kong at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on March 31.
This will mark the first time in 10 years that the venue will host the Blue Tigers. In March 2016, India faced Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the same venue. That was also the last time the Indian senior men’s team played in Kerala.
India, which is out of contention for a place in the AFC Asian Cup 2027, will aim to end its qualifying campaign with a win.
Despite it being a dead rubber in the context of the qualifiers, as Hong Kong has also been eliminated, the match still carries significance, with FIFA ranking points on offer.
Kochi will be the third different home venue for India in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers final round, after Shillong hosted the game against Bangladesh last March, and Margao hosted Singapore in October last year.
Published on Mar 15, 2026
