Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami: Full schedule, MLS tickets to see Messi play in US

Lionel Messi is taking his talents to South Beach.

Messi, the 2022 World Cup champion, announced on Wednesday that he will join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami CF, a pro soccer club owned by David Beckham, after exiting Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain following two seasons.

"I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami," Messi said. "I still haven't closed it 100% percent. I'm missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn't work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more of my family."

Although it's not clear when Messi will debut for Inter Miami, demand for tickets has already skyrocketed. Tickets to Inter Miami's game on June 10 range from $40-$55, but the price tag to see Inter Miami play LigaMX's Cruz Azul on July 21 soared to $495 in anticipation of what's expected to be Messi's first home game, TicketSmarter CEO Jeff Goodman told USA TODAY Sports.

"Soccer fans are extremely passionate," Goodman said. "This is a huge acquisition for Inter Miami CF and really MLS as a whole. It elevates the league and the international interest in MLS across the globe."

According to Goodman, nearly 2,000 Inter Miami tickets sold on TicketSmarter the day of Messi's announcement Wednesday, compared to under 50 tickets being sold on the platform over the weekend.

Ready to get weird, Lionel Messi? Be prepared for this only-in-MLS things

There are many places across the U.S. to potentially see Messi play. Here is the schedule for Inter Miami's remaining games in the 2023 season:

• June 10: New England Revolution vs. Inter Miami — Foxborough, MA (Gillette Stadium) TICKETS

• June 24: Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami — Chester, PA (Subaru Park) TICKETS

• July 1: Inter Miami vs. Austin FC — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• July 4: Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• July 8: D.C. United vs. Inter Miami — Washington, DC (Audi Field) TICKETS

• July 15: St. Louis City SC vs. Inter Miami — St. Louis, MO (Citypark) TICKETS

• July 21: *Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Cruz Azul — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• July 25: *Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

*The Leagues Cup runs from July 21 to Aug. 19. Each team will play a minimum of two games in the group stage, similar to the World Cup format, with the possibility of more games if the team advances to the knockout rounds.

• Aug. 20: Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Aug. 26: New York Red Bulls vs. Inter Miami — Harrison, NJ (Red Bull Arena) TICKETS

• Aug. 30: Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 3: Los Angeles FC vs. Inter Miami — Los Angeles, CA (BMO Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 9: Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 16: Atlanta United FC vs. Inter Miami — Atlanta, GA (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 20: Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 24: Orlando City SC vs. Inter Miami — Orlando, FL (Exploria Stadium) TICKETS

• Sept. 30: Inter Miami vs. New York City FC — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Oct. 4: Chicago Fire FC vs. Inter Miami — Chicago, IL (Soldier Field) TICKETS

• Oct. 7: Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati — Fort Lauderdale, FL (DRV PNK Stadium) TICKETS

• Oct. 21: Charlotte FC vs. Inter Miami — Charlotte, NC (Bank Of America Stadium) TICKETS

Gannett has a partnership with TicketSmarter that provides readers with access to tickets through Gannett's websites, including USA TODAY.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami: Schedule, MLS tickets to see him play