The Indian senior football team will play its final match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers against Hong Kong at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on March 31.
This will be 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, who are out of contention for a place in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, will look to end their qualifying campaign with a win.
Despite being a dead rubber in the context of the qualifiers, as Hong Kong is also eliminated, the match still has significance, with FIFA ranking points on offer lkj8.
Kochi will be the third different home venue for India in the final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, after Shillong hosted the match against Bangladesh last March and Margao hosted Singapore in October last year.
Published on March 15, 2026
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