Messi’s next trophy push starts here: Inter Miami’s upcoming Leagues Cup schedule

Lionel Messi and Argentina fell just short of winning a second straight World Cup, but now the legendary Inter Miami man has returned to his club campaign and has his sights on adding to his trophy case with the start of the Leagues Cup which will kick off later this week.

Messi back in action

The MLS went on a month long hiatus during the World Cup and now it will be forced to do so for another week. America’s top soccer league will take a momentary pause so that 18 of it’s teams can play the 18 teams from Liga MX in a 36 team, international competition that will run through September. The first stage of the tournament will be played over the next week and a half.

One of those MLS sides is Inter Miami, who are looking to add a second Leagues Cup title to their hardware collection. The Leagues Cup was the first trophy that Lionel Messi won with Inter Miami. It was also the first cup that the club won since joining Major League Soccer in 2020. They were a game away from winning a second one last year, but lost to the Seattle Sounders in the 2025 League Cup final.

Now their quest for more silverware begins this week. Messi and his side will kickoff the Leagues Cup against Liga MX side Atletico San Luis on Wednesday, August 5th at Nu Stadium in Miami. Three days later they will play Monterrey before finishing off the week with a match against Club Leon on the 12th. All three matches will be held in Miami, and given Inter Miami’s history in the tournament, you would expect them to be in the next round of the tournament after these three matches.

Messi’s memories in Leagues Cup

Messi left PSG for Inter Miami in a massive move that shook international soccer, and shifted fan focus to a league that many people around the globe had never been interested in watching. This tournament is special for Messi and Inter Miami, because it was the competition in which he made his debut for the David Beckham owned club.

Messi debuted for Inter Miami in a League Cup match against Cruz Azul and it didn’t take the Argentine wizard long to start etching his name in club history. He came off the bench in that match, and in a 1-1 game, with a free kick in stoppage time, Messi stepped up and curled a beautifully placed shot over the wall and tucked it right inside the near post. That was just the start. Inter Miami would go on to win that tournament

Since then he hasn’t stopped scoring. He is the tournament’s second leading scorer all time, with 12, right behind Denis Bouanga with 13. After taking some time off following the World Cup, Messi returned to action over the weekend, coming off the bench in Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew.

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