Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will play host to New York City FC in the opening match of the 2025 Major League Soccer season under a schedule unveiled on Thursday.

The Argentine star led Inter Miami to the best record in MLS last season but the squad was upset by Atlanta in the opening round of the playoffs.

Miami will open at home on February 22 against NYCFC — a match that falls between the team’s legs of a CONCACAF Champions Cup series against Kansas City on February 18 and 25.

Messi and his teammates will face their Eastern Conference rivals and visit San Jose, Houston and Minnesota from the Western Conference.

Inter Miami will entertain West rivals Dallas, Seattle and the reigning MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy in a feature clash on August 16.

The Galaxy will open the 2025 campaign at home against MLS expansion club San Diego on February 23.

San Diego’s debut marks the launch of the 30th MLS club in the league’s 30th season, in which each club with play 34 matches, evenly split in road and home fixtures.

The league will also pay tribute to its inaugural 1996 campaign when DC United visits San Jose on April 6 in a rematch of the first MLS contest.

United will also visit the Galaxy on July 12 in a rematch of the first MLS Cup final.

The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will be played at Austin on July 23.

MLS will pause the season from June 15-24 for the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup and 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, both to be contested in US venues.

Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders will compete in the Club World Cup.

The 2025 Leagues Cup between MLS and Mexico’s LIGA MX teams will be played from July 29 to August 31.

© Agence France-Presse

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