Argentine football star Lionel Messi will visit India in October to play an exhibition match, marking his return to the country 14 years after his first visit. 

"Argentina national football team, including legendary player Lionel Messi, will visit India for an international exhibition match in October 2025," the Argentina Football Association (AFA) and HSBC said in a joint statement on Wednesday. The AFA and HSBC signed a one-year partnership for India and Singapore to collaborate and promote football in the two countries. 

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"A new milestone has been achieved for the international expansion of AFA, opening new opportunities with HSBC both in India and in Singapore. This agreement looks after our team and we look forward to consolidate our agreement and extend in multiple regions as we progress in the 2025 and 2026," said AFA President Claudio Fabian Tapia.

It was not immediately clear which city the Argentina team would play their match in. 

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Last November, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman said that the government had reached an agreement with the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) regarding their men's national side, led by Messi, playing at least two friendly matches in Kerala. Onmanorama could not immediately verify whether the team would play in Kerala. 

The reigning world champions are coming to India as part of their 2026 World Cup preparations. The last time Messi and his team visited India was in 2011 to play in the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela. Argentina won the match 1-0.

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