Argentine football great Lionel Messi in Delhi today; avoid these roads

Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi’s pitstop in Delhi—as part of his GOAT India Tour 2025—is expected to create traffic snarls in the city, with the police issuing an advisory for the routes to avoid on Monday. He is expected to visit the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday afternoon.

Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and JLN Marg are the two roads expected to be restricted for commuters and see diversions from 1 pm.
“No heavy vehicles will be allowed on roads from Daryaganj to Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and from Guru Nanak Chowk to Asaf Ali Road,” the advisory stated.

The routes on JLN Marg, from Rajghat to Delhi Gate up to Kamla Market (both carriageways); Asaf Ali Road, from Turkman Gate to Delhi Gate; and Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, from Delhi Gate to Ramcharan Aggarwal Chowk/ITO Chowk (both carriageways), are expected to see traffic snarls till late evening on Monday.

New Delhi: A view of a traffic jam ahead of the ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’ event, in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (PTI Photo)

“Commuters are requested to avoid these roads from 12:00 Noon to 05:00 PM on the day of the match, as slight congestion is expected due to spectators,” the traffic police advisory stated.

Parking rules have also been updated, with the police restricting parking on major routes on match day.

“No vehicles are allowed to be parked on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, JLN Marg, or Ring Road from Rajghat to I.P. Flyover (both carriageways) on match day,” the advisory said.

Free parking will be available at Mata Sundari Road, Rajghat Power House Road, and Velodrome Road for visitors to the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Story continues below this ad

For people coming from app-based taxis, the pickup and drop-off points will be gate number 2 of Maulana Azad Medical College on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and Rajghat Chowk.