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Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club based in the
Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the lar ...
. The club competes in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami plays their home matches at
Chase Stadium Chase Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, the 21,550-seat stadium is the home pitch of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS) and its MLS Next ...
, with plans to move to
Miami Freedom Park Miami Freedom Park is a 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in Miami, Florida, United States. It is planned to be the home of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF. In spring of 2022, final approval was given by th ...
in 2026. On January 29, 2018, MLS officially approved an
expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
in Miami. The club garnered international attention prior to their founding because of co-owner
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
, and again in 2023 with the signing of
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
on a free transfer. Since the team began playing in the 2020 season, the club has signed several other high-profile players such as
Blaise Matuidi Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus FC, Juventus, and the France nati ...
,
Gonzalo Higuaín Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (; born 10 December 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa,'' he is considered to be one of the best strikers of his generation and was a prolific striker kn ...
,
Sergio Busquets Sergio Busquets Burgos (, ; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. A deep-lying playmaker capable of directing gameplay through short and calm passe ...
, Jordi Alba, and
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
. Following Messi's debut, the club won their first major trophy, the
2023 Leagues Cup The 2023 Leagues Cup was the third edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. It was held from July 21 to August 19, 2023, with all 77 matches held in either Canada and the ...
, which also qualified the team to the
2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup The 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup was the 59th season of the North, Central America, and the Caribbean's premier club Association football, football tournament organized by CONCACAF, and the first since it was rebranded as the CONCACAF Champions Cu ...
for the first time. In the 2024 season, Inter Miami secured their first
Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...
. The team's estimated value according to ''Forbes'' is $1.2 billion , ranking second in the league behind
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
.


History


Expansion

In November 2012,
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) commissioner
Don Garber Donald P. Garber (born October 9, 1957) is an American sports executive who has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS) since 1999. Garber is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federatio ...
confirmed the league's renewed interest in placing an expansion franchise in Miami, after the
Miami Fusion Miami Fusion F.C. was an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team played from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one ...
folded following the 2001 season. A
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
expansion team led by
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
and
Marcelo Claure Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya is a Bolivian-American technology entrepreneur, businessman, and investor. He is the founder and CEO of Claure Group, the Executive Chairman of Bicycle Capital, and Group Vice Chairman for  Shein. Claure founded ...
, a Bolivian businessman based in the city, announced an expansion bid in October 2008, with plans to begin play in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
. In March 2009, the league and Barcelona announced that Miami was no longer a candidate due to local market conditions. Additionally, MLS expressed concerns about Miami's lack of fan interest in an MLS franchise, the fact that
USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...
team
Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...
was not doing well, and the plan to use
FIU Stadium Pitbull Stadium is a college football and soccer stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU) in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida with a Miami mailing address. It is the home stadium of the FIU Panthers football tea ...
relegating the team to a secondary tenant in a
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
stadium with an artificial surface. However, Garber said that Miami would be an expansion target in the future. Claure later joined
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
's group of investors for the Miami expansion bid that was accepted by the league in 2014. When David Beckham, whose business manager
Simon Fuller Simon Robert Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer. He is the creator of the Idols (franchise), ''Idols'' TV format, including the British series ''Pop Idol'' and the American ser ...
had the idea of giving him an option to purchase an expansion team at a price of $25 million when he joined the league in 2007, ended his playing career in April 2013, the MLS held discussions with Fuller about several expansion targets, including Miami. That same year, other investors, including Italian financier Alessandro Butini and
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
owner
Stephen M. Ross Stephen Michael Ross (born May 10, 1940) is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and sports team owner. Ross is the chairman of Related Companies, a global real estate development firm he founded in 1972. Related is best known fo ...
expressed interest in owning a Miami franchise as well. In 2013, Fuller and Beckham discussed plans to buy an MLS soccer team in Miami. In 2013, when David Beckham was interviewed by
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, he thanked Fuller for the groundbreaking MLS deal he had negotiated back in 2007 and specifically the clause that Fuller had insisted on inserting to the player's benefit: "When I signed my contract six, seven years ago, my manager Simon Fuller actually got a clause in the contract that enabled me to have a franchise at the end of my playing career." In his December 2013 State of the League address, Garber had identified Beckham and Fuller as potential owners in Miami. Later that month, on December 17, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted unanimously to allow Mayor Carlos A. Giménez to negotiate with the Beckham-led group on a new stadium in downtown Miami. The league announced that Beckham exercised his option on February 5, 2014, and that Miami Beckham United, the investment group led by Beckham, Fuller and Claure, would own an expansion franchise in Miami, assuming that financing for a stadium could be agreed upon. In presentations to officials and potential investors, the ownership group used "Miami Vice" and "Miami Current" as
working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
s for the club. After its initial stadium proposals fell through, Commissioner Garber reiterated in August 2014 that the expansion would not be approved until a downtown stadium plan was secured and it was only after Fuller introduced Beckham to the Jorge and José Mas, that the plan was green lit. In an August 2014 Q&A session, deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said Miami would be the 23rd team as long as a downtown stadium deal could be reached. Beckham bought Fuller out in May 2019. On January 29, 2018, the Miami Beckham United group (consisting of Beckham, Claure, Fuller, Masayoshi Son ounder and CEO of SoftBank">SoftBank.html" ;"title="ounder and CEO of SoftBank">ounder and CEO of SoftBankand Jorge and José Mas, the Miami-based leaders of telecommunications and construction company MasTec) four years after the ownership's original announcement of pursuing a team, was awarded the twenty-fifth MLS franchise and was set to launch in the 2020 season. The announcement represented part of a larger MLS expansion that would increase its number of teams to 26 by 2020 and 30 after that. Since Beckham's original announcement of his intention to place a team in Miami in 2014,
Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
,
New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...
,
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
, Minnesota United FC,
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
, and
FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...
have all begun MLS play. Paul McDonough was hired as sporting director effective August 4. The team's ownership group was later renamed Miami Freedom Park LLC. They announced Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, shortened to Inter Miami CF, as the club's official name on September 5, 2018. MLS returned to the South Florida area in 2018, when Inter Miami CF was announced. On January 29, 2018, the Miami Beckham United group, four years after the ownership's original announcement of pursuing a team, was awarded the 25th MLS franchise and launched in the 2020 season, playing on the site of Lockhart Stadium at the new
Chase Stadium Chase Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, the 21,550-seat stadium is the home pitch of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS) and its MLS Next ...
. Former Fusion coach Ray Hudson would go on to work as a color commentator for Inter Miami, while former Fusion player
Chris Henderson Christopher Henderson (born December 11, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team and part of the U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. At the time of his ...
was appointed as the club's sporting director. With the addition of Inter Miami and
Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...
for the 2020 season, Major League Soccer organized the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft on November 19, 2019. On October 6, 2019, Inter Miami won the coin toss for the Expansion Priority Draft, and chose to select first in the expansion draft. Lists of protected rosters and draft-eligible players were released by MLS on November 16, 2019. On December 30, 2019, former Uruguay national team player and
C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey Rayados, A.C., simply known as Monterrey or by its nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, that plays in Liga MX, the top d ...
manager
Diego Alonso Diego Martín Alonso López (; born 16 April 1975) is an Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. Other than in his own country, he played football in Argentina, Spain, Mexico and China in a 16-year ca ...
was announced as the club's inaugural head coach. On February 14, 2020, Pizarro left Monterrey for Major League Soccer expansion side Inter Miami, following a protracted dispute between the clubs about the activation of his release clause, rejoining head coach Diego Alonso for a third time, his coach at both Pachuca and Monterrey. The following day, despite not officially being announced as a signing for the club, Pizarro scored the first goal for Miami in a 2–1 preseason friendly loss to
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...
. That same day, Monterrey filed a complaint with
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
against Pizarro and Inter Miami for improper contact between the player and Inter Miami co-owner
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
while Pizarro was still under contract with Monterrey. FIFA's investigation was still on-going when news of the complaint broke on March 4.


Early years (2020–2023)

Inter Miami's first MLS game was played on March 1, 2020, losing 1–0, away to
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
. Designated Player Rodolfo Pizarro scored the first goal in Inter Miami history the following game on March 7, in a 2–1 loss to D.C. United. Their first home match was supposed to be on March 14, 2020, against
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
, Beckham's former club. The match has since been delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On August 23, 2020, Inter Miami recorded their first franchise victory, 3–2 over
Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
. On January 7, 2021, Diego Alonso left by mutual consent. On January 18, 2021, England Women's manager
Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is also the co-owner of Salford City F.C., Salford ...
was appointed as the new head coach, and
Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
's
Chris Henderson Christopher Henderson (born December 11, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team and part of the U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. At the time of his ...
as chief soccer officer and sporting director. On March 23, 2021, it was announced that
Kieran Gibbs Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs (born 26 September 1989) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. Gibbs began his senior career with Arsenal F.C., Arsena ...
would join Inter Miami when his contract with West Brom expired in the summer. On February 23, 2023, Gibbs and Miami mutually agreed to terminate his deal at the club. He subsequently joined the club's broadcasting team. On August 13, 2020, Matuidi signed for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami on a free transfer. He made his club debut on September 6, in a scoreless home draw against Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. In January 2022, Matuidi was left off Inter Miami's roster for the 2022 season. On December 23, 2022, Matuidi announced his retirement from professional soccer after an 18-year career. On January 26, 2022,
Romeo Beckham Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002) is an English former footballer who played as a forward. He is the second son of former footballer David Beckham and fashion designer and former Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham. Early life Romeo ...
made his non-competitive senior debut for Inter Miami during a 4–0 pre-season win against
Club Universitario de Deportes Club Universitario de Deportes is a Peruvian sports club based in Lima, which has Association football, soccer as its main activity. It also has women's football, volleyball and basketball sections. The football team, popularly known as Universi ...
. In 2021, the Mas brothers finalized a buyout to take over majority ownership of the team from Claure and Son. On May 28, 2021, MLS announced that it would sanction Inter Miami CF, owner Jorge Mas, and former sporting director Paul McDonough for violating roster rules during the 2020 season. The club had signed
Blaise Matuidi Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus FC, Juventus, and the France nati ...
and Andrés Reyes using targeted
allocation money In Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), two of the top-tier professional soccer leagues in the United States, allocation money represents an amount of money that teams can use to sign players or allocate to thei ...
(TAM) to comply with salary cap requirements and avoid using its three Designated Player slots, but were found to have exceeded the TAM maximum of $1.61 million per player. MLS fined the club $2 million and reduced its allocation by $2.27 million for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, while Mas was fined $250,000 and McDonough was suspended from league activities through the end of the 2022 season. In May 2021, Inter Miami had to pay a $2 million fine for breaking MLS rules, as Matuidi was the fourth designated player in the team rather than the permitted three. Prior to the announcement, Matuidi was reclassified as a Designated Player by taking the slot occupied by
Matías Pellegrini Matías Pellegrini (born 11 March 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Argentine Primera División club Velez Sarsfield. Club career Estudiantes Pellegrini began with Estudiantes, who signed him fro ...
, who was loaned to Inter Miami CF II after his contract was bought out by the club. On July 19, 2022, Inter Miami had a friendly game match with the
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
losing 6–0. On September 18, 2020, Higuaín signed for Inter Miami. On his debut, he missed a penalty and then started a fight as Miami fell to a 3–0 defeat to the
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...
. On October 7, Higuaín scored his first goal for Miami, a late free kick in their 2–1 win against the
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
. On July 31, 2022, Higuaín scored another free-kick for Inter Miami, and then netted two more goals to complete a first-half hat-trick in 27 minutes against
FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...
in a 4–4 draw. Higuaín retired at the end of Inter Miami's 2022 MLS season; his last game was in the first round of the MLS playoffs, ending in 3–0 away loss to
New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...
. On January 20, 2022, it was announced that Leonardo Campana would join Major League Soccer club Inter Miami on a season-long loan from
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
. He made his debut for Inter Miami on February 26, 2022, starting in a 0–0 draw versus
Chicago Fire FC Chicago Fire Football Club is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Chicago. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The Fire play their hom ...
. Campana scored his first goal for Inter Miami on March 6, 2022, their only goal in a 5–1 loss to
Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q ...
. Campana was named MLS Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2022 season on April 11, 2022, for his hat trick against the
New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
. Campana signed with Miami on a permanent basis on January 20, 2023. He occupies a Young Designated Player roster slot and is signed through the end of the 2025 season, with a club option to extend through 2026. On September 15, 2023, Inter Miami announced the signing of forward Leonardo Campana to a contract extension through the 2027 Major League Soccer (MLS) season, with an option for 2028. On January 18, 2023, it was announced that Atlanta United striker
Josef Martínez Josef Alexander Martínez Mencia (born 19 May 1993) is a Venezuelan professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and the Venezuel ...
had been traded to Inter Miami. Martínez made his Inter Miami debut in a match against
CF Montréal Club de Foot Montréal () is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Montreal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Founded in 1992 as the Mo ...
on February 25, 2023, ending in a 2–0 win. DeAndre Yedlin joined Inter Miami on February 2, 2022, on a four-year contract with an additional one-year option. "It's almost a DP signing for us, really, in terms of his quality," Head coach
Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is also the co-owner of Salford City F.C., Salford ...
said. "He's played at the top, top level in the top soccer nations in the world. So we hope his experience, his quality, his leadership, and the fact that he's American I think is really important. We have a young, new team and we want experience in there as well." Yedlin stated "I know when I was in MLS, efendingwas a weakness in my game," after the move was announced. "Not only 1-v-1 but positionally. But now I'm coming back, being in a lot of different situations and a lot of different formations, playing different positions to a point now where I'm a lot more comfortable in those situations. I think I'm a lot better defender now than I was when I left."


Lionel Messi era (2023–present)

On June 1, 2023, Inter Miami announced that the club had parted ways with Neville, with the club in last place in the Eastern Conference. Four days later, then seven-time
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
winner
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
announced his intention to join the club as a free agent after leaving
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
, turning down an offer to play for
Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...
club Al-Hilal and ruling out a return to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Messi signed his Designated Player contract on July 15, joining the team through the 2023 MLS season. Argentine and former Barça manager
Gerardo Martino Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who last coached Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He ...
was appointed head coach on June 28 and joined the following month. Messi formally joined the team, alongside former Barcelona teammate
Sergio Busquets Sergio Busquets Burgos (, ; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. A deep-lying playmaker capable of directing gameplay through short and calm passe ...
, at an unveiling ceremony on July 16; it gained over 3.5 billion views worldwide. Five days later, another former Barcelona teammate, Jordi Alba, signed for Miami. Following Messi's arrival, Inter Miami became the top selling team across all sports on e-commerce retailer
Fanatics Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm. The political theorist Zachary R. Goldsmith provides a "cluster account" of the concept of fanaticism, identifying ten main attributes that, in various comb ...
, while Messi broke the record for most shirt sales in 24 hours. The average price for tickets to Miami matches on
StubHub StubHub is an American ticket exchange and resale company. It provides services for buyers and sellers of tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live entertainment events. By 2015, it was the world's largest ticket marketplace. While ...
increased five-fold to $161. Inter Miami was one of the top Google searches of 2023. Forbes valued Inter Miami around $1 billion, an increase of 72% from 2023, making it the second MLS club to be valued at a billion dollars. Asensi said the club would make north of $200 million in revenue in 2024, far beyond 2022 revenue, reported to be $50-60 million. Inter Miami was invited to participate in the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
. Messi and Busquets made their debuts on July 21 at home in a 2–1 win over
Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly referred to as Cruz Azul, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system, Mexican footba ...
in the
2023 Leagues Cup The 2023 Leagues Cup was the third edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament between Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX. It was held from July 21 to August 19, 2023, with all 77 matches held in either Canada and the ...
, with both coming on at the 54th minute. Messi scored the winner from a free-kick in stoppage time, ending Miami's 11-game winless streak. On August 19, in the 2023 Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC, Inter Miami lifted its first-ever trophy, winning 10–9 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Following this win, Inter Miami qualified for the
CONCACAF Champions Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...
for the first time; the team began play in the round of 16. On August 23 in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, Inter Miami beat
FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...
on penalties 5–4 after a 3–3 draw in extra time to go into the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
on September 27, where they lost to
Houston Dynamo FC Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Established on Decembe ...
2–1, after Messi was unable to play. On August 26 Messi, Busquets and Alba made their first appearances in the MLS against the
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
, which ended in a 2–0 victory. Messi netted the concluding goal. On September 16, Miami were defeated for the first time in the Messi era, without Messi or Alba playing against
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
, losing 5–2, ending their 12-match unbeaten run. On October 7, Miami were defeated by
FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...
, despite Messi being subbed on in the 55th minute. This result eliminated them from making the MLS playoffs. The Decision Day match between Inter Miami and
Charlotte FC Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...
was held on October 21. Miami were defeated 1–0, despite having Messi on for the entire match. On October 30, Inter Miami became the only MLS team to have a current player win the
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...
, when Messi secured his 8th award. Because of this, Inter Miami played a
friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
with
New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...
named ''Noche d'Or''. Messi's 8th Ballon was presented at DRV PNK Stadium while the team lost 2–1. On December 22, 2023, Inter Miami signed Uruguayan forward
Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
, another former Barcelona teammate of Messi. In February 2024, a pre-season friendly against a Hong Kong XI led to a controversy due to Messi's absence. The
Argentine Football Association The Argentine Football Association (, ; AFA) is the governing body of football in Argentina based in Buenos Aires. It organises the main divisions of Argentine football league system, Argentine league system (from Argentine Primera División, Pri ...
and
Chinese Football Association The Chinese Football Association (), abbreviated as CFA (), is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams an ...
paused their partnership as a result. On October 3, Miami secured their first
Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...
after a brace by Messi and a header by Suárez against
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
. On the last day of the season, Miami defeated
New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
6–2, to finish with a league record 74 points. On October 19, FIFA announced that Miami would be awarded with the host spot in the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, also marketed as FIFA Club World Cup 25) is the 21st edition and the first of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, an international club soccer competition organized ...
. On November 10, 2024, Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of the MLS playoffs, losing 3–2 to
Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
in one of the biggest upsets in MLS history. Messi's compatriot and former Barcelona teammate,
Javier Mascherano Javier Alejandro Mascherano (; born 8 June 1984) is an Argentine Association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. As a player, he played as a centre-back or defensive ...
, was hired as the new head coach. Inter Miami then hosted the opening of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against one of the best club from the African continent, Ah Ahly which resulted in a goalless draw.


Colors and badge

The Miami Beckham United group unveiled the team's name and colors on September 5, 2018. The name was announced as Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (Inter Miami CF). The crest, designed in style and colors that recall the city's
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
tradition, displays two great white herons with interlocking legs forming a letter ''M''. Between the herons is an eclipse, the sun bearing seven rays in an homage to the number Beckham often wore as a player. The full achievement displays the team name encircling all with the Roman numerals ''MMXX'' representing the year 2020, the inaugural season of play. The three pointed shield represents the three main communities of
South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
:
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
, and
West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
. The club's colors are pink, white, black, and a bit of blue such as the "La Palma" jersey. Inter Miami's current sponsorship is with the
Royal Caribbean Group Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a cruise holding company based in Miami, Florida, United States and incorporated in Liberia. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corp ...
. The species of the birds in the crest was the subject of debate after its announcement and unveiling, with some speculating them to be
flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...
s and
egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
s. The team later announced that the birds are white
heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...
s. In February 2020, Inter Milan sued Inter Miami for
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
infringement, stating that the term "Inter" is synonymous with its club and no one else. the case continues. The club's name has been the subject of a trademark dispute with Italian club
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, which had filed a claim with the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...
for the protected use of "Inter" in 2014. MLS filed an objection to the trademark claim in April 2019, arguing that the name "Inter" was generic due to its use by other clubs and could not be claimed exclusively. The two sides signed a discrete settlement in 2021, allowing David Beckham's side to continue using their name.


Uniform history


Home


Away


Third


Sponsorship

On April 9, 2021, Inter Miami CF and
AutoNation AutoNation, Inc. is an American automotive retailer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which provides new and pre-owned vehicles and associated services in the United States. The company was founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996, starting with twelv ...
announced a multi-layered three-year deal. In March 2024, Tudor was announced as the official timekeeper. In April 2024,
Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...
launched a partnership with the club where fans could meet players at select stores and earn loyalty points. Later in May 2024,
Visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...
announced their sponsorship of the club with a deal that gives it exclusive rights to activate the brand internationally.


Stadium


Chase Stadium

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national American financial institution * Chase UK, a British retail bank * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...
Stadium, formerly known as DRV PNK Stadium, is a soccer stadium in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
, on the site of the former
Lockhart Stadium Lockhart Stadium was a stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was used in a variety of sports, particularly soccer and American football. Originally designed in 1959 for high school sports, the stadium's long-standing soccer co ...
. The stadium is oriented north–south for soccer configuration, so the sun won't be in the eyes of the goalkeeper. The stadium is the primary headquarters for the team and its youth academy in addition to further training grounds. The cost of the whole renovation and creation of the
soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium whic ...
by Manica Architecture is $60 million or $140 million in total. Following
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
's June 2023 announcement of his planned move to Inter Miami, the club's managing owner
Jorge Mas Jorge Mas Santos (born February 28, 1963) is an American billionaire businessman and the chairman and largest shareholder of MasTec, a Miami-based construction and engineering company, founded by his father Jorge Mas Canosa. Mas is also chairm ...
stated that the corners of the stadium would be filled to add 3,000 to 3,200 seats to handle some of the expected demand. The new sections use bleacher seating from the
Miami International Autodrome The Miami International Autodrome is a purpose-built temporary circuit around Hard Rock Stadium and its private facilities in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. The track is long and features 19 corners with an average in a Formula One car ...
, the temporary
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
circuit built at
Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Southeastern United States, located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the Univers ...
for the
Miami Grand Prix The Miami Grand Prix is a Formula One Grand Prix which was held for the first time during the season, with the event taking place at the Miami International Autodrome which is located around the grounds and private facilities of Hard Rock Stadi ...
. On February 20, 2024, the day before Inter Miami's opening match of the 2024 regular season, the team announced a multi-year naming rights partnership with
JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
. The stadium was rebranded as Chase Stadium effective immediately. Pyro rooftop fireworks are also installed in the chase stadium. The
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...
announced in 2016 that they were moving out of Lockhart Stadium, after which the stadium fell into a state of disrepair. In late January 2019, Inter Miami announced its intentions to pursue the Lockhart Stadium site to serve as the club's training ground for its first team,
USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...
reserve team Inter Miami CF II, and youth academy. The development would also include a 21,550-seat stadium, which will serve as the permanent home of Inter Miami CF II and as the interim home for Inter Miami for at least the first two seasons while the
Miami Freedom Park Miami Freedom Park is a 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in Miami, Florida, United States. It is planned to be the home of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF. In spring of 2022, final approval was given by th ...
stadium is under construction. The Fort Lauderdale city council unanimously approved Inter Miami's bid for the Lockhart Stadium site in March 2019. In April, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission cleared Inter Miami to begin the demolition process. On July 9, 2019, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission unanimously approved a 50-year lease agreement for the Lockhart Stadium site with Inter Miami; under the terms of the agreement, the city will retain ownership of the property while the soccer club will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the new facilities. On April 8, 2021, it was reported that Inter Miami had reached a
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...
agreement with
AutoNation AutoNation, Inc. is an American automotive retailer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which provides new and pre-owned vehicles and associated services in the United States. The company was founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996, starting with twelv ...
; the agreement was officially announced the next day. The stadium was branded as DRV PNK Stadium, a tie-in with AutoNation's
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
awareness campaign. A second expansion was completed in January 2024 that increased capacity to 21,550 seats. A new section in the southwest corner, along with more seats in the northeast and southeast corners, added 1,200 seats; the expansion also included six "opera boxes" and nine "theatre boxes" with suite-like seats.


Miami Freedom Park

In March 2020, Inter Miami began to play in Fort Lauderdale. They will continue to do so until their new stadium, temporarily known as
Miami Freedom Park Miami Freedom Park is a 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in Miami, Florida, United States. It is planned to be the home of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF. In spring of 2022, final approval was given by th ...
, is completed. The project will include a 25,000-seat stadium that would form part of Freedom Park, a mixed-use complex on the former site of the city-owned Melreese Country Club near the
Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its Miami metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Florida. It hosts over 1, ...
. Approval for construction of the stadium depended on the outcome of a public
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
held on November 6, 2018, and approval of city officials. The result of the referendum had roughly 60 percent of voters approving the measure to convert the city-owned golf course near the international airport into Inter Miami's new stadium. The whole project in total is worth over $1 billion. On August 20, 2019, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez confirmed a recent report that
soil contamination Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
at Melreese golf course, the proposed site for the stadium, was far worse than previously thought. According to CBS Miami, "...arsenic contamination levels are more than twice what is allowed by law. Barium and lead levels are also too high and there is debris in the soil that could cause physical hazards." This has been approved by the results of a referendum in which 60% of the voters authorized the stadium. Also Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz's decision, preserved the results of a November referendum in which 60% of Miami voters authorized city administrators to negotiate a 99-year lease with the MLS team's ownership to develop Miami Freedom Park. The $1 billion stadium, hotel, office park, and commercial campus is to be built on of city-owned land, currently Melreese golf course. The team would also build an adjacent public park. The MLS team, Club Internacional de Fútbol (Inter Miami), would play at least 17 home games annually in the 25,000-seat stadium. The development, being built on public land, will include of office, retail and commercial space, 750 hotel rooms, of public soccer fields in addition to the stadium, and the remaining will be a public park. The club owners will also make annual installments of $20 million for 30 years for improvements to public parks across the city. The site follows a lengthy exploration of other locations since Beckham's purchase of the franchise. Noted locations that had previously been considered included: Dodge Island at
PortMiami The Port of Miami, styled as PortMiami and formally known as the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is a major seaport located in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River in Miami, Florida. It is the largest passenger port in the world and one ...
(2013), the
Downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida, United States. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and ...
waterfront at Museum Park (2014), a site adjacent to
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's
Marlins Park LoanDepot Park (officially stylized as loanDepot park, and named Marlins Park until 2021) is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on ...
(2015), and a privately owned site in Miami's Overtown (2015–16). Beckham announced in June 2019 that Freedom Park has a proposed launch date 2022. On April 28, 2022, the Miami City Council voted 4–1 to grant Inter Miami a 99-year lease for the Melreese site, with the stadium projected to open in the 2025 MLS season. On March 19, 2023, Melreese Golf Course was shut down to make way for the construction of Miami Freedom Park. Construction of Miami Freedom Park began in August 2023, with intentions to open in 2025. A groundbreaking ceremony was to be set later in the year. In August 2023 it was announced that the final legal hurdle had been cleared and construction had finally commenced on the stadium, with the current projection of completion being 2026.


Training complex

In late January 2019, the club announced its intentions to pursue the
Lockhart Stadium Lockhart Stadium was a stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It was used in a variety of sports, particularly soccer and American football. Originally designed in 1959 for high school sports, the stadium's long-standing soccer co ...
site in
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
to serve as the club's training ground for its first team, youth academy, and future
United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
(USL) team. The training facility, located north of Chase Stadium, covers and includes a park, youth soccer fields, and a community center. It has seven training fields and is the permanent training facility for all levels of Inter Miami's teams, ranging from their Youth Academy teams and USL League One team to the senior team. The naming rights to the facility were purchased by insurance company
Florida Blue GuideWell, formally GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (holding company for Florida Blue), is a mutual insurance holding company primarily focused on health insurance in Florida. It was created in 2013 by a reorganization initiated by Florida B ...
in September 2022. The Florida Blue Training Center includes the 5,000-seat AutoNation Sports Field, which has been the home ground of
Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition in the United States. The league comprises 11 teams. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned ...
club Miami Sharks since their debut in 2024.


Transportation

The Freedom Park site is located near
Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its Miami metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Florida. It hosts over 1, ...
and the adjoining
Miami Intermodal Center Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal rapid transit, commuter rail, local bus, and intercity bus transportation hub in Miami-Dade County, Florida, just outside the Miami city limits near the Grapeland ...
, a rail and bus transfer station. It is served by
Metrorail METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the List ...
trains to
Downtown Miami Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida, United States. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and ...
and
Tri-Rail Tri-Rail is a commuter rail service linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach County, Palm Beach, Broward Count ...
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
to the northern suburbs and counties. The Intermodal Center is located on the north side of the canal that separates the stadium site from the airport. Chase Stadium is located near
Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
at its junction with Commercial Boulevard (State Route 870) in Fort Lauderdale. The stadium has three designated parking lots for pre-purchased ticketholders and an additional lot for other visitors. The nearest
Tri-Rail Tri-Rail is a commuter rail service linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach County, Palm Beach, Broward Count ...
commuter rail station is Cypress Creek, but additional nighttime train service is not provided for Inter Miami matches. In April 2022, Inter Miami announced a partnership with
Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida. Part of the route runs on track owned and shared by the Florida East Coast Railway. Brightline is the only privat ...
to provide passenger trains from Miami and West Palm Beach to
Fort Lauderdale station Fort Lauderdale station is a train station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is served by Tri-Rail and Amtrak. The station is located on Southwest 21st Terrace, just south of Florida State Road 842, West Broward Boulevard. The station has two si ...
with a dedicated shuttle for fans. The service, named the GOOOL Getter, will have three round-trips before and after home matches.


Ownership

The ownership group behind the franchise was first formed in 2013 as Miami Beckham United, though it now trades under the name Miami Freedom Park LLC. The original ownership group was led by Miami-based Bolivian businessman
Marcelo Claure Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya is a Bolivian-American technology entrepreneur, businessman, and investor. He is the founder and CEO of Claure Group, the Executive Chairman of Bicycle Capital, and Group Vice Chairman for  Shein. Claure founded ...
, while
Masayoshi Son Masayoshi Son (, , born Masayoshi Yasumoto, ; August 11, 1957) is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist from Japan. A Zainichi Korean, he is the founder, representative director, corporate officer, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group (SBG ...
and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas were added to the ownership group in 2017. The effort originated in a contract
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
signed with MLS in 2007; he joined
LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
and negotiated an option to own an
expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
at a discounted franchise fee. On September 17, 2021, it was announced that Beckham and the Mas brothers had bought out Claure and Son's stakes in the ownership group.
Ares Management Ares Management Corporation is a global alternative investment manager operating in the credit, private equity and real estate markets. The company was founded in 1997 with additional offices across North America, Europe, and Asia. As of Sep ...
was also added to the ownership group.


Supporters

The club has four official supporters groups: The Siege, Southern Legion, Vice City 1896, and Nación Rosa Y Negro.


Rivalries

The club has a rivalry with
Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
, currently the team's closest neighbors and only other Florida-based team in MLS. Orlando City joined MLS in 2015 but had to wait until its sixth season to play a first intrastate match against an MLS opponent following the introduction of Inter Miami as an expansion franchise in 2020. It has been named the "Florida Derby" by the official MLS page. The club also has an intracity rivalry in
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
club
Miami FC Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...
. It is known as the "Miami Clásico".


Honors


Players and staff


Squad


Technical staff

''As of January 28, 2025''


Head coaches

''As of May 16, 2025''


Club DP history


Records


Seasons


Infrastructure


Reserve team

On October 9, 2019, the club announced that they were fielding a
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
in the third tier of US Soccer,
USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...
. This team allows the club to prepare future players with quality competition in hopes of being called up to the first team. The unnamed League One Miami team will train at the training facilities of
Chase Stadium Chase Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, the 21,550-seat stadium is the home pitch of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS) and its MLS Next ...
. The team was to open their inaugural season on March 27, 2020, against
Union Omaha Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. Nicknamed the Owls, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1) in 2020. In the clubs first five seasons, the Owls finished in ...
at Inter Miami CF Stadium but the match was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On February 24, 2022, Fort Lauderdale CF announced that the team had rebranded as Inter Miami CF II ahead of their move to the
MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
, the new reserve league for MLS teams.


Academy

The Inter Miami CF Academy is the official youth academy and development system of Inter Miami CF that was established in 2019. The academy consists of various levels of age groups, ranging from under-12 to under-17. These teams will also train at the training grounds at
Inter Miami CF Stadium Chase Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, the 21,550-seat stadium is the home pitch of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer (MLS) and its MLS Next ...
alongside their MLS and USL League One counterparts. All of Inter Miami's youth teams compete in the
MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is managed, organized, and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to th ...
soccer league as of the inaugural 2022 season. The system covers the under-12, under-13, under-14, under-15, and under-17 age groups.


Media

The team's first three matches in the 2020 season were assigned to national broadcasts; a broadcast deal was not announced before the suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team did announce that Ray Hudson would serve as color commentator, Andres Cordero served as the play-by-play commentator, joined by Fernando Fiore as the host, and
Kaylyn Kyle Kaylyn McKenzie Kyle (born October 6, 1988) is a Canadian former soccer player and member of the Canada national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is a Right To Play ambassador and currently serves as a soccer broadc ...
as the sideline reporter. On April 3, 2020, the club announced a regional English-language television deal with
CBS Television Stations CBS News and Stations is a division of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global that owns and operates a group of United States, American television stations along with CBS News. , the division owns 28 stations: 15 are the core stati ...
, under which its regional matches will air on
MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
affiliate
WBFS-TV WBFS-TV (channel 33) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside WFOR-TV (channel 4), a CBS owned-and-operated station. The two stations share studios ...
, with selected matches airing on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
station
WFOR-TV WFOR-TV (channel 4), branded CBS Miami, is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations division alongside CW affiliate WBFS-TV (channel 33). ...
. Then on April 30, the club announced a Spanish rights deal with
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
, where games would be aired on its TV affiliate WAMI and radio affiliate
WQBA WQBA (1140 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish talk/sports format. Licensed to Miami, Florida, United States, the station is owned by Latino Media Network; under a local marketing agreement, it was operated by former owner Televis ...
, with a broadcast team consisting of Ramses Sandoval, , , , Nicholas Cantor and Tony Cherchi. On February 23, 2023, Inter Miami named
Kieran Gibbs Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs (born 26 September 1989) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. Gibbs began his senior career with Arsenal F.C., Arsena ...
as the media director for the team and its network.
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...
is also the official beer of Inter Miami along with partnership or sponsorship made on August 6, 2019. Inter Miami has many partnerships and sponsorships with certain well known companies of United States or internationally. Inter Miami announced a multi-year partnership, with battery brand
Duracell Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, and rechargeables; it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 2016. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben a ...
as its official power partner on February 15, 2024. Inter Miami formally announced the renewal of its partnership with prominent, global cryptofinance firm XBTO on Tuesday March 12, 2024. The multi-year extension sees XBTO remain as Inter Miami CF's Official Cryptofinance Partner. In May 2024, Inter Miami announced a premium multi-year international partnership with
Visa Inc. Visa Inc. () is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, most commonly through Visa-branded credit cards, debit c ...
All of Major League Soccer's regional television contracts expired after the 2023 season, with all television coverage moving to
MLS Season Pass MLS Season Pass is a soccer streaming service operated by Apple Inc. which includes live matches from Major League Soccer (MLS). The package was launched in the 2023 Major League Soccer season as part of a new 10-year media rights agreement be ...
on
Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...
.


See also

*
List of most expensive association football transfers A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of most expensive American soccer transfers The following is a list of most expensive American soccer transfers, which details the highest Transfer (association football), transfer fees ever paid for Football player, players, as well as transfers which set new American transfer records. ...
* Forbes list of the most valuable football clubs


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control Inter Miami CF Association football clubs established in 2020 Major League Soccer teams Soccer in Miami Soccer clubs in Miami Soccer clubs in South Florida Soccer clubs in Florida Soccer in Florida 2020 establishments in Florida Sports in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sports in Sunrise, Florida Sports in Miami-Dade County, Florida Sports in Broward County, Florida Sports clubs and teams in Miami