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Lionel Messi, Inter Miami to play matches in Peru, Panama and Honduras before MLS season

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play exhibitions in Peru, Panama and Honduras next month, rounding out a five-match preseason tour that begins in Las Vegas and ends in Tampa, Florida ahead of the 2025 MLS season.

Inter Miami’s "The Americans Preseason Tour" begins in Las Vegas when Inter Miami plays Mexican champions Club America at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 18.

Inter Miami will face Peruvian side Club Universitario de Deportes, the country’s first division back-to-back champions, at Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru on Jan. 29.

Four days later, Inter Miami will face Sporting San Miguelito at Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez in Panama City, Panama on Feb. 2.

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Inter Miami star Lionel Messi celebrates.
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi celebrates.

Inter Miami will face Honduran giants Club Deportivo Olimpia at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Feb. 8

And the preseason comes to an end when Inter Miami faces its in-state MLS rival Orlando City at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 14.

The five-match preseason lasting a month is a lighter load than Inter Miami’s worldwide preseason tour last year, when the club played six games in El Salvador, Dallas, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Tokyo in a span of three weeks.

Still, Inter Miami’s 2025 tour will see Messi draw fans in North, Central and South America, continuing to promote the MLS club to an international audience while preparing for an action-packed season.

Messi and Inter Miami will play in the Champions Cup, the Club World Cup, and the Leagues Cup tournaments in 2025, while defending their Supporters' Shield title and contending for another postseason berth in the MLS Cup playoffs next year.

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi celebrates.
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi celebrates.

"We’re very excited to unveil the five matches against domestic and international opponents across the Americas that will prepare us for a highly anticipated 2025," Inter Miami’s president of football operations Raúl Sanllehí said in a statement.

"These fixtures will put us in the best possible position ahead of an unparalleled campaign with various competitions we're playing for this year – the FIFA Club World Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and MLS."

Messi won MLS MVP in 2024, helping Inter Miami win the regular-season title and set the MLS single-season points record (74) before the club’s first-round playoff exit to Atlanta United.

The club will also have a new coach in 2025, after Messi’s longtime teammate Javier Mascherano was hired to replace Tata Martino, who resigned following last season.

Inter Miami will begin the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup with the first of two games against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Inter Miami will host New York City FC on Feb. 22 in their MLS season opener, then host Sporting KC in the second leg of their first-round Champions Cup matchup on Feb. 25. Both matches will be played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Messi, Inter Miami upcoming schedule

  • Jan. 18: Inter Miami vs. Club América, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, 10 p.m. ET (preseason)

  • Jan. 29: Club Universitario de Deportes vs. Inter Miami, Estadio Monumental in Lima Peru, 8 p.m. ET

  • Feb. 2: Sporting San Miguelito vs. Inter Miami, Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez in Panama City, 5 p.m. ET

  • Feb. 8: Club Deportivo Olimpia vs. Inter Miami, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 8 p.m. ET (preseason)

  • Feb. 14: Inter Miami vs. Orlando City, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, 7:30 p.m. (preseason)

  • Feb. 18: Sporting Kansas City vs. Inter Miami, Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, 8 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions Cup)

  • Feb. 22: Inter Miami vs. New York City FC, Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 2:30 p.m. (MLS regular season opener)

  • Feb. 25: Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City, Chase Stadium, 8 p.m. ET (Concacaf Champions Cup)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami preseason games in Peru, Panama, Honduras