Even if Lionel Messi doesn’t show up for Inter Miami’s game against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, fans who spent a lot of money to see the Argentine at Soldier Field will still earn bonus credit.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, the Fire virtually sold out Soldier Field’s 62,000 seats weeks before kickoff on Wednesday and passed $9.5 million in ticket sales, an MLS record. This was done in preparation of Messi’s visit. That represents about 55% of the team’s total season ticket earnings.
This credit offer reveals the dilemma facing Chicago, which leaned heavily into creating a business plan around this one game, hoping to use Messi’s popularity to grow the Fire’s fanbase long-term. Given there are no guarantees in soccer that a player will play on any given night, there was plenty of risk involved in this strategy, as well as for fans who bought tickets specifically to see the 36-year-old.
So when it became possible that Messi might not play in Chicago, the team organized a contingency plan to be executed whether or not the Argentine star took the field. By offering credits instead of refunds, the team can boost future attendance and revenue if fans take them up on the deal.
The Fire’s president of business operations, Dave Baldwin, acknowledged the risk of hanging so much on one game—or one player—to Sportico last month. “You end up with a really significant number that’s attributed to one event, and there’s a lot of danger when you have that much variability in your P&L,” he said in a video call.
Additionally, the team doesn’t want to face backlash after promoting the record-breaking ticket sales. “We understand that many of our fans may be disappointed if they don’t get the chance to see him play,” the team said in Tuesday’s statement.
Messi had a great first month at MLS, bringing Inter Miami its first trophy at the Leagues Cup. He has also delivered significant revenue boosts to Inter Miami and its opponents, selling out stadiums at home and away.
It remains to be seen when or if the Argentine will play with Inter Miami again this season. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has played just one MLS game since Sept. 3 and watched Inter’s 2-1 defeat by the Houston Dynamo in the final of the U.S. Open Cup last week from a VIP suite. No other team offered credits or refunds for the games Messi skipped.
After the game against Chicago—which has major playoff implications for both clubs—Inter Miami has three more MLS regular season games: Saturday against Cincinnati, a rescheduled match at home against Charlotte on Oct. 18 and at Charlotte on Oct. 21. It is unlikely the South Florida franchise will make the playoffs this year.
Meanwhile, Messi confirmed he will join the Argentina national team in its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with games at home against Paraguay and away in Peru on Oct. 12 and 17, respectively, according to Argentine media.
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