India's last Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong to be held in Kochi on Mar 31

New Delhi: Indian men's football team's final match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers against Hong Kong will be held in Kochi on March 31.

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.

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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.

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The fixture 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.