Kochi to Host India vs Hong Kong AFC Asian Cup Qualifier After a Decade at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Kochi | 15 March 2026 The iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi is set to host the India national football team after nearly a decade. The stadium will stage India’s final match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round against Hong Kong national football team on March 31, with the game scheduled to kick off at 7:00 PM IST. This will be the first time in ten years that the Blue Tigers will play in Kochi. The last match of the Indian senior men’s team in Kerala took place in March 2016, when India faced Turkmenistan national football team in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the same venue. India have already been eliminated from the race for qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup, and the upcoming game will mark the end of their campaign in the qualifiers. Although the match is considered a dead rubber with Hong Kong also out of contention it still holds importance as valuable FIFA ranking points are at stake. Meanwhile, the India women's national football team have delivered a strong performance in their qualifiers and successfully secured a place in the Asian Cup. The team completed a perfect campaign by winning all four matches, recording dominant victories against Mongolia women's national football team (13-0), Timor-Leste women's national football team (4-0) and Iraq women's national football team (5-0), before finishing with a crucial 2-1 win over hosts Thailand women's national football team. Kochi to Host India vs Hong Kong AFC Asian Cup Qualifier After a Decade at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium The iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi is set to host the India national football team after nearly a decade. The stadium will stage India’s final match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round against Hong Kong national football team on March 31, with the game scheduled to kick off at 7:00 PM IST. This will be the first time in ten years that the Blue Tigers will play in Kochi. The last match of the Indian senior men’s team in Kerala took place in March 2016, when India faced Turkmenistan national football team in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the same venue. India have already been eliminated from the race for qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup, and the upcoming game will mark the end of their campaign in the qualifiers. Although the match is considered a dead rubber with Hong Kong also out of contention it still holds importance as valuable FIFA ranking points are at stake. Meanwhile, the India women's national football team have delivered a strong performance in their qualifiers and successfully secured a place in the Asian Cup. The team completed a perfect campaign by winning all four matches, recording dominant victories against Mongolia women's national football team (13-0), Timor-Leste women's national football team (4-0) and Iraq women's national football team (5-0), before finishing with a crucial 2-1 win over hosts Thailand women's national football team.