Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have returned to Major League Soccer action, with the 2024 regular season now under way.
Inter Miami picked up a 2-0 victory in their season opener, beating Real Salt Lake in a very sloppy match across the 90 minutes. Messi was the star, assisting Robert Taylor's opener and creating the chance for Diego Gomez's second-half finisher. He also shone in a rout of Orlando City, but when he was rested for the game with Montreal, it ended in defeat for Tata Martino's team.
Messi had a turbulent preseason, to say the least, as it was marked by controversy over his injury rest. His decision to sit out a friendly match against an All-Star XI in Hong Kong caused great anger among fans and political figures and served as something of a cautionary tale for MLS clubs considering similar global tours.
The Argentina star had been involved for some of Inter Miami's two-game Riyadh Season Cup spell in Saudi Arabia — in which they conceded 10 goals across their two matches — but we never got to see the highly anticipated "Last Dance" between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi as the Portugal star also suffered an injury.
The Sporting News provides you with the latest Lionel Messi schedule and the full MLS, CONCACAF Champions Cup, and Leagues Cup calendar for Inter Miami.
MORE: How to watch CONCACAF Champions Cup
Lionel Messi next match for Inter Miami
Messi's next Inter Miami was set to be in the MLS as they face DC United on March 16. However, he has been ruled out with an injury and is now not expected to feature until they play the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
- Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024
- Time (ET): 2:00 p.m.
- Competition: MLS
- Match: New York Red Bulls vs. Inter Miami SC (Red Bull Arena — Harrison, New Jersey)
- TV (USA): TBC
- Streaming (USA): MLS Season Pass
Inter Miami full fixture list for 2024 season
CONCACAF Champions Cup
As 2023 Leagues Cup winners, Inter Miami earned a bye to the Round of 16, where they face MLS side Nashville SC over two legs.
Should they advance to the quarterfinals, they would play one of FC Cincinnati (USA), Monterrey (Mexico), Comunicaciones (Guatemala) or Cavalier (Jamaica).
| Matchup | First Leg | Second Leg | Aggregate |
| R16: Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC | 2-2 | 3-1 | 5-3 |
| QF: Inter Miami vs Monterrey | April 3 | April 10 | |
| SF: TBD | Apr. 23-25 | Apr. 30-May 2 | |
| Final: TBD | June 2 | ||
MLS
Inter Miami kicked off their 2024 MLS season with a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake at home in late February, participating in the first match of the entire league campaign.
Their regular season will finish on Decision Day on October 19, when they play New England Revolution on Decision Day.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| Weds, Feb. 21 | Real Salt Lake | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | W 2-0 |
| Sun, Feb. 25 | LA Galaxy | Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA) | D 1-1 |
| Sat, March 2 | Orlando City | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | W 5-0 |
| Sun, March 10 | Montreal | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | D 2-2 |
| Sat, March 16 | D.C. United | Audi Field (Washington, DC) | |
| Sat, March 23 | NY Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ) | |
| Sat, March 30 | NYCFC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, April 6 | Colorado Rapids | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, April 13 | Sporting KC | Children's Mercy Park (Kansas City, KS) | |
| Sat, April 20 | Nashville SC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, April 27 | New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) | |
| Sat, May 4 | NY Red Bulls | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, May 11 | Montreal | Stade Saputo (Montreal, Canada) | |
| Wed, May 15 | Orlando City | Exploria Stadium (Orlando, FL) | |
| Sat, May 18 | D.C. United | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, May 25 | Vancouver Whitecaps | BC Place (Vancouver, Canada) | |
| Wed, May 29 | Atlanta United | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, June 1 | St. Louis City | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, June 15 | Philadelphia Union | Subaru Park (Chester, PA) | |
| Wed, June 19 | Columbus Crew | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, June 29 | Nashville SC | GEODIS Park (Nashville, TN) | |
| Wed, July 3 | Charlotte FC | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) | |
| Sat, July 6 | FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH) | |
| Wed, July 17 | Toronto | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, July 20 | Chicago Fire | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, Aug. 24 | FC Cincinnati | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Sat, Aug. 31 | Chicago Fire | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) | |
| Sat, Sep. 14 | Philadelphia Union | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Wed, Sep. 18 | Atlanta United | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) | |
| Sat, Sep. 21 | NYCFC | Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY) | |
| Sat, Sep. 28 | Charlotte FC | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | |
| Wed, Oct. 2 | Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) | |
| Sat, Oct. 5 | Toronto | BMO Field (Toronto, Canada) | |
| Sat, Oct. 19 | New England Revolution | Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) |
Leagues Cup
The 2024 Leagues Cup is scheduled to begin on July 26, 2024, with the final taking place on August 25, 2024.
The full Leagues Cup draw will determine the groups and schedule for the competition, but that is yet to be conducted.
During the Leagues Cup, no MLS games will take place as league play pauses for the month-long competition.