MIAMI — After five straight road games to start the 2026 MLS season, Inter Miami CF will finally play at home in its brand-new stadium -- Nu Stadium -- on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Construction started in August 2023. Three years later, the venue’s inaugural match will be played against Austin FC.
The Herons enter the match in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1-1 record, while Austin sits in 11th in the Western Conference with a 1-2-2 mark.
Inter Miami held an open practice at Nu Stadium for the first time Thursday.
Lionel Messi did not fully participate, not because of an injury, but because he had just returned from playing with the Argentina national team during the final friendlies before the 2026 World Cup, according to head coach Javier Mascherano.
Over his career, Messi has scored 316 goals in 322 home league matches, but he failed to score in his first home appearances at Camp Nou with Barcelona, Parc des Princes with Paris Saint-Germain and Chase Stadium with Inter Miami.
Attendance for the debut match is expected to reach the full capacity of 26,700, with fans also filling the Leo Messi Stand.
You can watch the Local 10 News special, “Miami Freedom Park: On the Pitch,” on Friday at 8 p.m.
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