Lionel Messi Set for Career First in Inter Miami Preseason Clash

Inter Miami will head to Puerto Rico for their fourth match of the MLS preseason.

Lionel Messi has never played a match in the American Caribbean territory. | Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Lionel Messi will add another FIFA nation to his globe-trotting career when Inter Miami visit the American territority Puerto Rico for a preseason clash against Ecuadorian Serie A champions Independiente del Valle on Feb. 13. 

While Puerto Rico is not considered an independent country, it competes internationally in sport, with a men’s national team ranked 156th in the January update of the FIFA World Rankings. Messi recently faced Puerto Rico as well, leading Argentina to a 6–0 win in an international friendly at Miami’s Chase Stadium in October. 

The Caribbean island trip will feature Miami’s fourth preseason match, after the team first visits Peru, Colombia and Ecuador for friendly clashes against Alianza Lima, Atlético Nacional and Barcelona SC. 

Messi has already played in 49 other nations, with his latest trip to the Caribbean coming in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, when Miami defeated Jamaica’s Cavalier FC 4–0 on aggregate. 

Since signing with Miami in 2023, Messi has played in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Peru, Panama, Honduras, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Now, Puerto Rico will be added to that list with the upcoming friendly fixture. 

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Why Play Independiente del Valle?

The Puerto Rico Islanders once played against the LA Galaxy and several other MLS clubs. | Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Miami’s opponent will also travel a significant distance to reach Bayamón, Puerto Rico, as the American territory currently has no professional teams—only an amateur division, the Liga Puerto Rico, which would not provide adequate preparation for Miami’s 2026 MLS and Concacaf Champions Cup campaigns. 

If this match happened in past eras, however, a Puerto Rican professional team could have played. Previously, the island was home to the Puerto Rico Islanders, who played in the North American Soccer League and USL First Division from 2003 until their demise in 2012. 

By bringing in the Ecuadorian Serie A champions, the Herons will face a formidable opponent in their fourth preseason test, with eyes towards their 2026 MLS regular season opener against Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga’s LAFC on Feb. 21. 

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Inter Miami 2026 Preseason Schedule

Date / Kickoff Time	Venue	Match
Jan 24 / 5 p.m. ET	Estadio Alejandro Villanueva - Lima, Peru	Inter Miami vs. Club Alianza Lima
Jan. 31 / 5 p.m. ET	Estadio Atanasio Girardot - Medellín, Colombia	Inter Miami vs. Atlético Nacional S.A.
Feb. 7 / 7 p.m. ET	Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha - Guayaquil, Ecuador	Inter Miami vs. Barcelona de Guayaquil
Feb. 13 / 8 p.m. ET	Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel - Bayamón, Puerto Rico	Inter Miami vs. Independiente del Valle

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