Messi re-signs with Inter Miami through 2028. But does that mean you’ll get to see him?

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami announced that the global superstar will re-sign with the club for three years, with the new contract running through the 2028 season. Financial terms of the agreement were not announced, but the new deal keeps Messi playing in Miami, and, as importantly, keeps him on the squad as it opens its new soccer stadium in March of 2026.

At first glance, it would be hard to see why Miami fans, MLS fans, and soccer fans in general wouldn’t rejoice. Even at 38, Messi is still the biggest soccer name on the planet and a player most fans want to see.

But will they see him? 

Messi’s tenure in Miami has been marred by injuries … and missed games

Since joining Inter Miami in July 2023, the club has played in 119 matches, including regular-season and postseason MLS matches, as well as other cup matches (but excluding friendlies and matches Messi played with the Argentinian National Team). 

But of those 119 matches, Messi has started only 71 of them. He has come off the bench in 12 matches, but has missed 36 matches entirely. 

And during his worst stretch in 2024, he missed or didn’t start in 56% of Miami’s matches.

Of course, injuries are injuries, and it’s not as if missing games is intentional. Nevertheless, the impact on fans has been significant. 

How Messi has impacted pricing for Inter Miami tickets, both at home and on the road

Since signing Messi, Inter Miami’s season ticket prices have skyrocketed, rising by 82%-104% for general bowl seats from the 2023 to 2024 seasons. In fact, Miami season tickets were more expensive than 14 of the Premier League clubs in England in 2024-25, including Manchester United and Manchester City. Nevertheless, the team sold out of season ticket memberships at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, and only made new partial season tickets available in 2025.

The impact has been even more profound for single-game ticket buyers when Messi comes to their city. According to CNBC, tickets for Inter Miami’s road games increased by 1000% after he started playing. And according to the secondary marketplace Ticket Club, 38 of the 40 best-selling matches over the past 2.5 years have involved Inter Miami.

The bottom line: tickets to see Messi play have been extremely expensive. But 30-40% of the time, fans have paid those prices and not gotten to see him on the pitch as they expected.

Messi’s injuries have also become other teams’ problems

So what happens when Messi doesn’t play in a road match that has been hyped and sold to capacity by opposing teams? The answer: very upset fans and some public relations challenges.

As an example, Messi missed his matches against the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field in October 2023 and August 2024. For the 2023 match, Soldier Field sold out, and fans spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on resale marketplaces to see the legend play, only to be disappointed when injuries kept him off the pitch. As a way of “making good”, the Fire offered fans a $250 credit towards 2024 season tickets, even though there was nothing about the situation that was their fault. 

In 2024, still smarting from the negative fan backlash over the 2023 game, the team made the same offer in advance of the game, promising fans either a $250 season ticket credit for 2025 or $100 off two or more single-match tickets if Messi didn’t play in their August match. Which, in the end, he missed due to injury once again.

The result in 2025 was that the team had to offer multiple promotions to sell tickets for their April match against Miami, as many fans felt too uneasy about paying high prices for a third time in a row, just to potentially be disappointed. 

Messi ended up playing in that match, and has appeared in over 80% of Inter Miami’s matches this season.

But the entire situation shows how challenging it can be when a megastar like Messi misses long stretches due to injuries. And with Messi turning 39 next summer, expecting his injuries to diminish probably isn’t realistic. This year, there are only three non-goalkeepers playing in the Premier League who are older than Messi, and only six non-goalkeepers in MLS who are older than him as well. To expect Messi to play every game at the age of 38+ is hardly realistic.

Does a three-year contract really mean Messi will play for three years?

Part of Messi’s original Inter Miami contract included the option to purchase an equity stake in the Club after his contract expired. That contract has now expired, and even though details about this contract extension haven’t been made public, it’s likely this ownership option can be triggered regardless of whether Messi completes this new three-year term or not.

So if Messi changes his mind – or injuries become too much of an issue – can Messi walk away from the deal? And if so, what would the impact on fans be?

Well, for season ticket holders, it would be significant. The prices for Inter Miami season tickets are based on Lionel Messi’s inclusion on the team. If he’s not playing, those tickets would seem drastically overpriced compared to what they would cost if Messi weren’t on the team. And with certain premium seats at the new stadium requiring a two or three-year commitment, this could be a serious issue for those fans.

For single-game ticket buyers (both at home or on the road), the impact wouldn’t be as great, unless Messi was to retire during the middle of a season after they have already purchased match tickets.

So is Messi re-signing good or bad for fans?

It seems that the answer relies on how much Messi plays. If he’s on the pitch for most games, then certainly Messi’s presence helps the league as a whole and gives fans additional opportunities to see one of the game’s all-time great players. But additional stints on the injury list could put a damper on this news and frustrate fans as they try to decide whether to buy expensive tickets to see him play. And it would also challenge other MLS teams as they try to sell tickets for those matches to fans who have already been burned a few times.

Next steps

With MLS ticket renewal season about to commence, general bowl season ticket holders in Miami have good reason to renew their seats, as it would seem that at least one more year of Lionel Messi playing in Miami is fairly assured. The threat of injuries still looms, but that’s a known factor that ticket buyers can evaluate for themselves.

But for premium seat season ticket holders or companies buying suites, we’d suggest thinking twice about signing a three-year commitment unless you know you will be comfortable with the price tag if Messi is no longer playing.

For fans in other cities who want to see Messi play when he visits their stadiums, the best plan is to wait to buy tickets until closer to match day. That will give them the best chance to monitor Messi’s health and playing status, so they don’t overpay for tickets just to see the rest of Inter Miami’s squad.