Pakula told 3AW the state government had sought assurances strong squad would come to Australia,although injuries and other “preparation considerations” could impact the final sides.

“Certainly our expectation based on the discussions we’ve had,is the players like Messi and Neymar will be here,” Pakula said.

“We can’t be 100 per cent certain about that. But we’ve been told this is an important preparation match for them in the lead-up to the World Cup and we’d expect both teams to send very strong squads.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale on April 21 at 2pm via Ticketek.

The return of Brazil and Argentina to Melbourne follows multiple announcements of international soccer giants holding friendlies in Australia over winter,withManchester United to play at the MCG against Melbourne Victory on Friday,July 15.