New Delhi: There has been a change of venue in Lionel Messi’s much-awaited ‘GOAT Tour of India 2025’ as Hyderabad has replaced Ahmedabad in the list of cities that the Argentine maestro was supposed to make a stopover in. Hyderabad has been added as a new venue to Messi’s tour of India following the cancellation of Argentina’s friendly match in Kerala.
Messi will kick off his tour of India in Kolkata on December 13. The Argentine football legend was supposed to travel to Ahmedabad from a sponsor-related event, however, that event has been shifted to Mumbai. Messi will now travel from Kolkata to Hyderabad before heading to Mumbai. The decision was taken after Argentina’s friendly match in Kerala was called off.
The organisers want to ensure Messi’s fans across the country get a chance to witness the Argentina legend and have thus added Hyderabad to the itinerary to ensure there is a south leg of the tour. The tour that will get underway in Kolkata in the east will head to Hyderabad to cover the southern region, before heading to Mumbai (west) and concluding in New Delhi (north), giving fans across all regions a chance to get a glimpse of one of the greatest footballers of all time.
“Now we are covering south also. This will be a tribute to millions of football fans in South India,” Satadru Dutta, the sole organiser of the ‘GOAT Tour to India 2025’, was quoted as saying by PTI, confirming that Hyderabad has replaced Ahmedabad in the itinerary.
The event in Hyderabad will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, where Messi will interact with fans and meet and greet with celebrities. Messi will also take part in a celebrity match as part of the ‘GOAT Cup’ during the event in Hyderabad. Dutta confirmed that a football clinic, a musical programme and a felicitation ceremony will also be organised in the city.
Messi’s GOAT Tour of India will start on December 13 in Kolkata and he will travel to Hyderabad on the same day, as per Dutta. He will head to Mumbai on December 14, where he will take part in a friendly seven-a-side celebrity match. Messi will travel to Delhi on December 15 and conclude his tour of India by meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Complete itinerary of Lionel Messi’s tour of India:
December 13 – Arrival in Kolkata, meet and greet at the Salt Lake Stadium.
December 13 – Arrival in Hyderabad, GOAT Cup match, meet and greet and other events at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
December 14 – Arrival in Mumbai, GOAT Cup match, meet and greet and other events at the Wankhede Stadium.
December 15 – Arrival in New Delhi, meeting with PM Narendra Modi.