HONG KONG, Dec 15, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Tickets to see Lionel Messi in a Hong Kong friendly were snapped up in under an hour on Friday after nearly two million people queued online, organisers said.

The Argentine great and his Inter Miami side will face a Hong Kong XI at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium on February 4.

Football fans in the finance hub of 7.5 million logging in to the ticketing app on Friday morning faced a mammoth queue for tickets, which cost from HK$880 to HK4,880 ($110-$625).

"We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the fans," said Michel Lamuniere, chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, which is helping to stage the game.

Some social media users posted screenshots of the app showing an error message which cited "traffic overload".

Messi last played in Hong Kong in 2014, also for a friendly game.

Miami co-owner David Beckham, who played in Hong Kong in 2003 soon after joining Real Madrid, previously said the MLS club was looking forward to playing in a "beautiful city with a great sports scene".

Miami's line-up in Hong Kong will also include Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, according to organisers.

The Hong Kong XI will be made up of players from the Chinese territory's top division.