Inter Miami will begin their pre-season tour by visiting Lima, Peru for the second consecutive time, this time a friendly match with Alianza Lima on January 24, 2026 at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva stadium. Alianza is the second most successful team in Peruvian football history with 25 First Division championships, and also owns an international cup in its title collection.
After that, the MLS Cup champion will travel to Medellin, Colombia to face Atletico Nacional on January 31, 2026 at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium. It is known that Atletico Nacional, commonly known as Los Verdolaga, is the most successful club in Colombian football history with 18 Colombian First Division championships, along with two CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores championships, two CONMEBOL Copa Merconorte championships, two Copa Interamericana championships, seven Copa Colombia championships, four Superliga championships and one Recopa Sudamericana championship.
In the final leg of the pre-season friendly schedule, Messi and his teammates will visit Barcelona de Guayaquil, Ecuador on February 7, 2026 at the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha stadium.
This will be Inter Miami's first match against an opponent from Ecuador. Barcelona is one of the longest-running teams in Ecuadorian football and currently holds the most championship titles in Ecuador's top league with 16 times.
Ending the friendly journey, Inter Miami will return to Florida to prepare for the first match of the new MLS season, against LAFC on February 21, 2026.
Inter Miami experienced a very successful 2025 by winning the MLS Cup for the first time, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1. Before winning the MLS Cup, Miami won the League Cup in 2023, and in 2024 won the Supporters' Shield and set a record for the highest score in a season.
Messi shone brightly after joining Inter Miami in 2023. In the 2025 season, the Argentine player led the league in goals to win his first MLS Golden Shoe in his career and also won the Best Player award for the second time.
