Lionel Messi arrived in India on December 13, 2025, to begin the GOAT India Tour 2025. The tour is a three-day, four-city event covering Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. It includes public appearances, cultural programs, and celebrity football activities.
The tour started in Kolkata, marking Messi’s first visit to India in 14 years. He took part in a meet-and-greet and virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself at the Sreebhumi Sporting Club.
Events and concerts are also scheduled at Salt Lake Stadium, where Messi last played in 2011. Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and actor Shah Rukh Khan are expected to join him there.
Messi is accompanied by Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul from Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad. On the same day, he travelled to Hyderabad, where he is set to appear at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
On December 14, the tour moves to Mumbai, which will host the Padel GOAT Cup at Brabourne Stadium and a celebrity football match. Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar are expected at the Mumbai events.
The tour also features a charity fashion show, an auction of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup memorabilia, and a Spanish musical evening led by Suárez.
The GOAT India Tour 2025 will conclude on December 15 in New Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with several Indian cricketers expected to attend.
GOAT India Tour Schedule
December 13 – Kolkata
1:30 AM: Arrival in Kolkata
9:30 AM–10:30 AM: Meet-and-greet session
10:30 AM–11:15 AM: Virtual inauguration of Lionel Messi’s statue
11:15 AM–11:25 AM: Arrival at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium)
11:30 AM: Shah Rukh Khan arrives at the stadium
12:00 PM: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly arrive at the stadium
12:00 PM–12:30 PM: Friendly match, felicitation, and interaction
2:00 PM: Departure for Hyderabad