Lionel Messi and Inter Miami to play 1st MLS regular-season match in new stadium April 4

MIAMI (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play a Major League Soccer match in their new stadium for the first time on April 4, one of the highlights of the league's schedule that was revealed Thursday.

The 2026 MLS regular season starts Feb. 21 and runs through Nov. 7. It'll be the last season in the February-to-November model, with a shortened season planned for 2027 and then the new summer-to-spring calendar for the 2027-28 campaign to closer align with other global leagues.

Inter Miami will open the season with five consecutive road matches, which presumably will allow for the finishing touches to be made to Miami Freedom Park — the team's still-under-construction home near Miami International Airport. It's not clear yet if there will be preseason or other matches at the stadium before the April 4 date.

The home opener for Inter Miami will be against Austin FC, a 7:30 p.m. start inside the new 25,000-seat stadium. Messi signed a three-year extension in recent weeks to remain with the team into 2028 and getting that deal done cemented that he — as the team long hoped — would be there for the start of their run at the new facility.

Miami Freedom Park's opening will start a planned run of three new MLS stadiums in a three-season span, with New York City FC's Etihad Park set to open in 2027 and a new downtown stadium for Chicago Fire FC slated to open in 2028.

There will be a nearly two-month break for the FIFA World Cup, with no matches scheduled between May 25 and July 16.

Among the final pre-break matches: a doubleheader on FOX on May 24 with Inter Miami facing Philadelphia followed by LAFC against Seattle.

The MLS season will resume shortly before the end of the World Cup; MLS has some rivalry games scheduled for July 16 and 17, prior to the third-place match on July 18 and the World Cup final on July 19.

All 510 MLS regular season matches next season will be available on Apple TV in more than 100 countries and regions, with no blackouts and — in a change — no additional subscription required. Some MLS matches will also be available on FOX networks in the U.S., along with TSN and RDS in Canada.

There will be 15 matches on the season's opening weekend, Feb. 21 and 22. Among them: St. Louis City SC playing host to Charlotte FC on Feb. 21, before FC Cincinnati takes on Atlanta United in the return of coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Also that night: Messi and Inter Miami open the season against LAFC at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Among the Feb. 22 slate: LA Galaxy hosting New York City FC for Sunday Night Soccer on Apple TV, followed by the Seattle Sounders FC and Colorado Rapids playing on FS1.

The MLS All-Star Game will be in Charlotte on July 29, one day after the skills challenge. The opponent for the MLS All-Star Game has yet to be announced.

The league will observe FIFA's November window before opening the playoffs, which will allow for the postseason to run without interruption starting Nov. 18.

The league has not revealed the full postseason schedule.

AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/mls-soccer

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, left, points to teammate Mateo Silvetti (not shown) after scoring during the first half of Game 3 in the first round of MLS soccer's Western Conference playoffs against Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, left, celebrates with forward Mateo Silvetti, right, after scoring during the first half of Game 3 in the first round of MLS soccer's Western Conference playoffs against Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — John Locher is a veteran photographer for The Associated Press. He has been based in Las Vegas the past 12 years. Locher's assignments include sports, breaking news, features and enterprise stories.

Whenever there are major sporting events happening around the world, we as AP photojournalists are positioned to show the scope of these events. We are able illustrate how far World Cup interest reaches beyond the stadiums where games are being played. With no matches in Las Vegas, Friday's Australia-US game was an opportunity to find watch parties to capture the excitement and interest of fans, even if they aren’t able to attend the match. Las Vegas is city where things are often done a bit differently — in this case, it was a pool watch party.

The Circa Resort and Casino has previously held watch parties for sporting events at its pool and broadcast them on a big screen. It was the first place i thought of to photograph people watching the Australia USA match. I knew I’d need an overall photo to show how it is an unusual place to watch a soccer game. After shooting tighter pictures of fan’s reactions I scoped out places that had a vantage from above. I used a wide angle lens to show the crowds in the pool and the some of the surrounding casino buildings to illustrate how this wasn't your regular World Cup watch party..

I like to show how Las Vegas can take things to another level. There were several bars and restaurants holding watch parties around the country for the big Australia-US match, but the photograph of a pool party shows fans watching at a venue you ordinarily would not see.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Fans watch a live broadcast of a World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and Australia from a pool at the Circa Resort & Casino, Friday, June 19, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)