Inside Inter Miami’s new home: Lionel Messi trains at Nu Stadium for the first time

Two and a half years after breaking ground on the site, Inter Miami’s players stepped out onto the field at the club’s new soccer-specific stadium on Thursday. The aptly-named ‘Nu Stadium’ is finally ready for competitive action, the latest step in the mission to make Inter Miami a genuine super-club.

The $350 million venue welcomed supporters for the first time on Thursday with a few thousand in attendance to watch Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez take part in an open training session. Here’s a look at the team’s reaction when entering the locker room for the first time...

The new home of the reigning MLS Cup champions will be the centerpiece of the Miami Freedom Park development, located near Miami International Airport. The 26,700-seat venue will host its first game on Saturday, April 4 when Inter Miami take on Austin FC in MLS.

One notable feature of the new venue will be a stand named in honor of the club’s greatest-ever player, who is also the current occupant of it’s No. 10 jersey. The Leo Messi Stand is a rare example of a current player who has a section of the stadium named in his honor. The Argentine is already the club’s record goal scorer and has captained the team to three trophies since arriving in July 2023.

The road to Nu Stadium

Since joining the league in 2020 Inter Miami have been playing at a multipurpose venue in Fort Lauderdale, most recently known as Chase Stadium. That had been the team’s home for the first six season and hosted the 2025 MLS Cup, which was won by the Herons.

Approval for the new venue was granted in April 2022 and the club broke ground on the site in August 2023, just as Lionel Messi was leading his team to the Leagues Cup triumph. The momentum from Messi’s shock arrival and the outstanding on-field performances helped to build the anticipation for the club’s first permanent home. Now in his fourth season with the team, Messi is looking to cement his legacy in North American soccer by building a dynasty in MLS. If successful, tickets for Nu Stadium could become some of the hottest in the country.

“This is a stadium that was born out of a dream,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said this week. “Six years ago, we didn’t have a club. For us, it’s important. It was always our dream to build a special football stadium. It is a global sport. We’re a global city. I want this to be the home of football in the United States of America.”

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