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The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, Kerala, will host the India senior men's national team's last match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round against Hong Kong, China, on March 31.
The match will kick off at 19:00 IST (Indian Standard Time), according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). This will mark the first time in 10 years that Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium 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 the reckoning for a place in the AFC Asian Cup 2027, will aim to end their qualifying campaign with a win. Despite it being a dead rubber in the context of the qualifiers, as Hong Kong have also been eliminated, the match still carries significance with FIFA ranking points on offer. It will be the third different home venue for India in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round, after Shillong hosted the game against Bangladesh last March, and Margao hosted Singapore last October. Last week, the Indian senior women's national team suffered a 0-11 loss at the hands of Japan in their second Group C match of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 at the Perth Rectangular Stadium in Perth, Australia, on March 7. The former World Cup and Asian Cup champions led by five goals at half-time. Japan's Hinata Miyazawa (20', 35', 81') and Riko Ueki (47', 50', 65') scored a hat-trick each. Kiko Seike (45+5' p, 55') scored two, while Yuzuki Yamamoto (4'), Yui Hasegawa (13'), and Maya Hijikata (62') netted one each, according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). (ANI)
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