Messi's Inter Miami heading to Hong Kong for preseason friendly

Agence France-Presse ·
HARRISON, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 26: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF celebrates his goal with DeAndre Yedlin #2 and Benjamin Cremaschi #30 in the second half during a match between Inter Miami CF and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on August 26, 2023 in Harrison, New Jersey.
Al Bello / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play a preseason friendly in Hong Kong in February as part of the club's first ever international tour, the Major League Soccer side said Thursday.

Inter Miami said the club will play a Hong Kong XI made up of players from the Chinese territory's First Division at the Hong Kong Stadium on Feb. 4.

"We're very excited to be visiting Hong Kong and indeed Asia for the very first time," Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said in a statement.

"From the very beginning, we set out to be a global club at Inter Miami. This is a wonderful opportunity to do just that. We hope to enthuse and inspire new Inter Miami fans in Hong Kong and across Asia."

Miami co-owner David Beckham, who played in Hong Kong in 2003 soon after joining Real Madrid, said the club was looking forward to playing in a "beautiful city with a great sports scene.

"Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time in Asia. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to bring Inter Miami to play our first international tour match in this fantastic city," Beckham said.

The announcement comes after Miami last month scrapped plans for a two-game end-of-season tour in China, citing "unforeseen circumstances in China."

XRedditFacebookWhatsAppEmailSMS