Hyderabad, Dec 13, 2025: The opposition leader of Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who is a senior leader of the Congress Party, is going to take part in a prestigious football match that is going to happen on Saturday evening at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium with a worldwide prestigious footballer, Lionel Messi, who is going to take part in a match against a Telangana Chief Minister’s team, Mr. Revanth Reddy.
Rahul Gandhi is supposed to land in Hyderabad on a special flight in the late afternoon, with his plane touching down at approximately 4:30 p.m. Gandhi is set to go straight to the Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel, where Messi is staying with his entourage as a part of his “GOAT India Tour 2025,” before going on to the stadium for the exhibition game. Post the game, Gandhi is set to return to Delhi later that evening.
The football match is a part of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi’s three-city tour of India, which includes Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. The Hyderabad leg, which has been organized after the previous event in Kerala had been cancelled, has been highly anticipated.
Event Structure and Match Details
The most notable event taking place in Hyderabad is a friendly game involving two teams – Singareni RR9, and the Aparna-Messi All Stars, with players competing in an exhibition game that is set to last 15 to 20 minutes. The event is set to see Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a huge fan of the game, take to the pitch with stars such as Messi, together with the rival players, a short while before the kick-off.
The organizers, as well as the concerned government authorities, have reiterated that adequate arrangements have been made concerning the event’s security and logistics, which is set to take the large turnout on Saturday. The police, together with the concerned security officials, have devised thorough crowd control measures at RGI Stadium, where a large number of people are expected to attend the event.
Security and Public Preparations
In preparation for the arrival of Messi and the event, the people of Hyderabad have been actively gearing up for the huge turnout that is expected. Billboards, banners, and decorations throughout the city have been put in place, which gives a indication of the magnitude of the event that is taking place for the fans as well as the people who are passionate about football. Other preparations have included safety, with thousands of police personnel being posted, along with the installation of hundreds of CCTV cameras.
It has been reinforced that only people with tickets are allowed inside the stadium, while transportation and traffic systems in the vicinity of the stadium have been adjusted to facilitate the flow of the anticipated crowd.
Government & Orgaiser Clarifications
Telangana’s Chief Minister, Mr. A. Revanth Reddy, has clarified that the state government is not the organizer of the match involving Messi but that the government is providing full cooperation to facilitate a smooth event. The Chief Minister has clarified that it is a private body that is handling the events of the tour, which has invited political personalities from the national level, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to be part of the event as guests. The message from the Chief Minister has been conveyed while taking interviews from representatives of the media.
Fan Engagement & Ancillary Events
Besides the match, the presence of Messi has also generated a series of ancillary events for fans in Hyderabad that are part of the overall GOAT India Tour. Meet-and-greet sessions have been organized at Taj Falaknuma Palace, which come with a stiff price tag, a factor that has generated a mixture of excitement and discontent among the fans.
Internationally, there has been significant buzz around Messi’s tour, with reported massive gatherings of his fans at previous destinations, such as Kolkata, where there were queues of people waiting for him.
Profile of Participants
Even Lionel Messi, who is considered to be one of the best players to have ever played the game, is spearheading this event as a part of a worldwide outreach program. Revanth Reddy, being the Chief Minister of Telangana, has been actively promoting this event by taking part in practice sessions before the match that takes place on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi, apart from his political duties as the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, has also expressed his interest in attending the match, which brings to light an intersection of sports diplomacy and people engagement. The presence of Rahul Gandhi at the event is a testament to the high profile that has been secured by Messi’s tour in India. The GOAT India Tour, which is to take place in Hyderabad, is set to be one of the most prominent sporting events of the year in the state, with great interest from sports lovers, as well as politicians and common people.
