Kochi To Host India After A Decade! Blue Tigers Play Final AFC Asian Cup Qualifier Vs Hong Kong

Last Updated:March 15, 2026, 15:21 IST

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi will host the Indian men's football team after a decade for their final AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers match against Hong Kong on March 31.

The iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is ready to welcome the Indian men’s football team after a decade, hosting India’s final match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round against Hong Kong on March 31. The match, which concludes India’s disappointing campaign in the qualifiers, will commence at 7:00 PM IST.

This will be the first time in 10 years that Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the Blue Tigers. The last time the Indian senior men’s team played in Kerala was in March 2016, when they faced Turkmenistan in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the same venue.

India, already out of contention for a place in the AFC Asian Cup 2027, will aim to end their qualifying campaign with a victory. Although the match is a dead rubber in the context of the qualifiers, as Hong Kong has also been eliminated, it still carries significance with FIFA ranking points on offer.

India’s Result In AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers

This will be the third different home venue for India in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round. Previously, Shillong hosted the game against Bangladesh last March, and Margao hosted Singapore last October.

AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers – India’s Position In Group

The Indian Men’s football team last competed in the Asian Cup in 2023, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

In contrast, the Women’s team secured their place in the Asian Cup after a remarkable performance in the qualifiers. The Blue Tigresses delivered a flawless campaign, winning all four matches convincingly. They recorded emphatic victories over Mongolia (13-0), Timor-Leste (4-0), and Iraq (5-0), before capping off the group stage with a crucial 2-1 win against higher-ranked hosts Thailand.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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