Inter Miami’s Champions Tour and the business behind the Messi effect
Inter Miami’s preseason tour across Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador highlights the business, logistics behind Lionel Messi’s global draw.
With the 2026 World Cup just months away, the chance to see world champion Lionel Messi has become increasingly coveted by fans around the globe. Some paid the equivalent of several months’ salary to watch him in India, only for the experiment to end in chaos at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where unrest erupted, fans expressed their frustration, and the event’s main organizer was detained by police.
In Latin America, however, the outlook appears markedly different.
Inter Miami recently confirmed its Champions Tour, a preseason series featuring the MLS champion and Messi, its captain. The tour will give fans in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador the opportunity to see the No. 10 of La Albiceleste play against local clubs as part of the team’s preparation under head coach Javier Mascherano. The tour is operated by Never Say Never (NSN), a company owned by former Spain international Andrés Iniesta — Messi’s longtime teammate at FC Barcelona — alongside Stoneweg Places & Experiences.
NSN also held the rights to Inter Miami’s Latin American tour in 2024, which produced positive results. Messi featured in every scheduled match, opening the door for the club to consider making the tour a recurring component of its preseason calendar. NSN works closely with Ricardo Leyva, president of Latir, which, alongside Molina Corp, is responsible for the tour organization in Ecuador and Colombia. Leyva told The Athletic that after Peru hosted one of the tour stops last year, and that organizers were keen to return to Lima — this time to face Alianza Lima — following Inter Miami’s meeting with its rival Universitario de Deportes in 2024.
Our champions are back 🏆
South America ✈️ here we go!
The #ChampionsTour begins.↬ https://t.co/JAw03qpjDk pic.twitter.com/LUS1gXr38V
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 27, 2025
Bringing Messi and Inter Miami to countries where security remains a sensitive issue presents clear challenges, but Leyva believes the payoff justifies the effort. Organizers are expecting sellouts, and several sections in Colombia’s stadium have already sold out. Leyva added that Colombian venues, shaped by years of hosting major soccer matches and large-scale concerts, are well equipped to handle events of this magnitude. Medellín’s Atanasio Girardot Stadium, which holds approximately 45,000 spectators, is considered logistically ready.
“That same week, just before, there are three concerts from Bad Bunny’s tour, and all the most relevant artists, from Madonna onward, have performed there,” Leyva said.
