The tour officially begins on December 13 in Kolkata, followed by a visit to Hyderabad the same evening. He will be in Mumbai the next day, before concluding the tour in New Delhi on Monday, where the World Cup winner is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence.
Lionel Messi’s India tour – Full schedule
KOLKATA LEG:
Messi will land in Kolkata at 1:30 AM in the early hours of Saturday and check into a five-star hotel on EM Bypass. Later in the morning, between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM, he will attend a sponsor-exclusive meet-and-greet featuring an Argentine–Indian fusion food festival. The spread will include Argentine herbal tea, mate, infused with Assam flavours, alongside Bengali delicacies such as hilsa and a range of traditional sweets.
Due to security concerns, Messi will virtually unveil his “biggest ever statue” — a 70-foot structure — from his team hotel. He was initially scheduled to inaugurate it at Sreebhumi, but police did not grant permission for an on-site event. A 25 ft x 20 ft Messi mural, created for the upcoming Durga Puja season, will also be unveiled the same day.
“Not only will he unveil his biggest-ever statue, we will have a huge mural, which will be kept at strategic Durga Puja pandal-hopping locations so that all his fans will have an opportunity to paint and post messages in a nearby message box,” Dutta said.
A crowd of more than 70,000 is expected for the stadium event, with 75,000 seats made available and strong demand prompting organisers to open counter sales from Tuesday. After wrapping up his commitments in Kolkata, Messi will head to Salt Lake Stadium and then depart for Hyderabad at 2 PM.
HYDERABAD LEG:
Messi was initially slated to travel to Kochi for a friendly on November 17, but after the cancellation, Hyderabad was added to ensure a true pan-India tour.
In Hyderabad, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will attend the Hyderabad GOAT Cup at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, from 7 PM. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is expected to be in attendance. The event will feature a 7v7 celebrity match, a masterclass for scouted youth players, penalty shootouts, and a musical concert celebrating Messi.
MUMBAI LEG:
Organisers have requested Messi to bring select memorabilia from Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph for a charity auction. In Mumbai, he is set to walk the ramp in a “philanthropic fashion show for a cause”, where he will reunite with long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul for a 45-minute fashion segment on December 14.
“It’s a fully reserved night. There will be celebrity models, top cricketers, Bollywood stars, millionaires and founders. Tiger and Jackie Shroff, John Abraham among others,” said Dutta.
Suárez will also feature in a Spanish music show. The organisers have formally requested Messi to bring “some memorabilia of the 2022 World Cup” for the auction.
The Mumbai leg begins at 5 PM at Wankhede Stadium, preceded by a Padel Cup at 3:30 PM at the Cricket Club of India.
DELHI LEG:
On Monday, Messi will meet PM Modi at his residence in the capital city.
Messi will then felicitate Minerva Academy’s youth team, which swept three major European titles earlier this year – Gothia Cup, Dana Cup and Norway Cup during their July-August tour, while also reaching the Helsinki Cup final. There will also be a nine-members celebrity match during Messi’s visit to the capital.
