Lionel Messi heading on historic Hong Kong tour with Inter Miami as MLS side announce pre-season plans that may include Luis Suarez

The MLS franchise have never visited Asia before, with a first international tour in the club’s short history being lined up. They had been due to head for China at the end of the 2023 campaign, but those plans descended into chaos and were eventually ripped up.

Inter Miami will, however, be facing the Hong Kong Team – a collection of the best players from the Hong Kong First Division League – at the 40,000-capacity national stadium on February 4. Messi should form part of that fixture, as he gears up for another shot at major silverware in 2024, while Luis Suarez could also be on the club’s books by then.

Co-owner Jorge Mas has told the club’s official website: “We're very excited to be visiting Hong Kong and indeed Asia for the very first time. 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 who share our passion for futbol.”

David Beckham added: “Hong Kong is 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.”

Chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson went on to say: “We’re looking forward to this tour as a special experience for our club, and also as an important opportunity to prepare the team as best as possible for the 2024 season. This match will offer our players chances to face new opponents on the field and compete in new environments.”

Tickets for the match in Hong Kong will go on sale on December 15. Inter Miami are also looking to line up a number of other pre-season friendly dates, with it already confirmed that they will be facing the El Salvador national team in an exhibition game on January 19, 2024.