Will soccer fans in British Columbia finally get to see Lionel Messi play in the flesh?
That question looms after the Vancouver Whitecaps prepare to face off against Messi's Inter Miami in the semi-finals of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, the North American version of the UEFA Champions League.
The Whitecaps will host the first leg of the home-and-away series at BC Place on April 24 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Vancouver will play the return leg on April 30 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with kickoff at 5 p.m. PT.
Both teams advanced to their semi-final match up Wednesday evening. Vancouver advanced by virtue of the away-goal-rule against Mexico's Pumas after having tied the home-and-away series 3-3 on goals. Vancouver's Tristan Blackmon scored three minutes into second-half stoppage time to tie the game at two goals each to secure the Whitecaps' date with Inter Miami.
The Whitecaps had taken the lead on Sebastian Berhalter's goal in the 33rd minute. Pumas appeared poised to advance with Ignacio Pussetto's go-ahead goal in the 88th minute, but Blackmon's goal silenced the crowd of just under 20,000 watching the game in Mexico City. The teams had played to 1-1 tie on April 2 with Vancouver having led until late in the game.
Messi's team, meanwhile, beat Los Angeles 3-2 on aggregate, with Messi scoring two goals and providing one assist.
The Vancouver Whitecaps hosted Miami on May 25, 2024 as part of the MLS season, but Messi himself did not travel with the team to Vancouver. That news caused considerable consternation among soccer fans across B.C. The Whitecaps said at the time that they did not control who plays for their opponents and discounted prices for various items to soften the blow of Messi's no-show.
Season members will have a 24-hour presale window starting at 12 p.m. PT, match packs and group tickets will also be available at whitecapsfc.com/tickets. Single match tickets will be available to the general public on Friday, April 11 at 12 p.m. PT at ticketmaster.ca/whitecaps.
The pending date with Inter Miami points to the Whitecaps' current run of good form. They have five out of their first seven MLS regular season games with one loss and one draw and their dramatic advancement against Pumas caps off back-to-back series wins against Mexican-based teams. MLS have historically struggled against Mexican teams, which have dominated the competition.
Should the Whitecaps advance past Miami, which also features Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets, they will face either Mexico's Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL on Sunday, June 1 in the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The winner of that game will advance to the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
