Lionel Messi will play an exhibition match with Inter Miami against River Plate at the Estadio Monumental on Tuesday, January 19, 2027, infobae reported.
The fixture in Buenos Aires forms part of the North American club’s pre-season preparations, marking Inter Miami’s first tour match in Argentina. Argentina will thus join the list of countries visited by Inter Miami since Lionel Messi revolutionized North American football. The club previously faced Newell’s in Fort Lauderdale at the beginning of 2024, and it will be the second time they face a club from the country.
For Messi, the match marks a return to the venue where he played his last international fixture in Argentina shirt on October 6 against Benin. Billed under the motto “Un encuentro Monumental,” the exhibition is organized by COC Global.
Organizers plan to feature other international stars currently with Inter Miami alongside River Plate’s squad. “The match will bring together two clubs that, from different trajectories, have become global references in football and have experienced extraordinary sporting, institutional, and commercial expansion in recent years,” COC Global said.
The squad also features names known in the country such as former River player Matías Galarza Fonda and youth player Santiago Morales, the son of former footballer Javier Morales.
The club’s international tour history includes stops in Colombia against Atlético Nacional, Peru to face Alianza Lima and Universitario, Ecuador against Barcelona SC, Puerto Rico to play Independiente del Valle, Honduras against Olimpia, El Salvador against the national team, and Panama to face Sporting San Miguelito, alongside matches in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Japan.
River Plate routinely arranges international fixtures during pre-season windows, having traveled to Spain and faced Flamengo in Portugal during recent preparations. Past opponents include Universidad de Chile, Universidad Católica, Colo, Olimpia, Millonarios, Monterrey, and Pachuca.
Both clubs maintain active competition schedules before any January exhibition. River Plate faces Lanús on Sunday, November 22, in the Torneo Clausura Round of 16 under coach Leonardo Ponzio, needing a tournament title to secure direct qualification for the 2027 Copa Libertadores. In the event that they defeat Granate, they will have a quarterfinal matchup against the winner of the clash between Instituto de Córdoba and Huracán.
Inter Miami finished the regular season second in the Eastern Conference with 60 points, far behind leader Nashville SC, which accumulated 77 units. The team hosts Columbus Crew in Florida on Saturday, November 21, for the opening leg of their MLS playoff first-round series, followed by the return leg in Ohio on Friday, November 27.
During its stay, the Miami club has already celebrated the Leagues Cup titles in 2023, the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, the 2025 MLS, and the Campeones Cup in 2026.
Ticket sales and supplementary event details will be announced through each club’s official channels.
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