Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami announces two-game tour of China،
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will begin a two-game playoff tour in China, the team announced Sunday.
Just over two weeks after the end of their 2023 MLS campaign, Inter Miami will travel to face Chinese Super League sides Qingdao Hainiu FC and Chengdu Rongchen on November 5 and 8 respectively.
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“We are very excited to continue to expand the global reach of our club, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans around the world,” said Xavier Asensi, Chief Commercial Officer.
“This is a special opportunity to share our passion as we reach new audiences and exhibit in new venues, and we can’t wait to begin this journey.”
Miami – which was eliminated from playoff contention after a loss to FC Cincinnati in its last match – has two matchups against Charlotte FC remaining in the MLS regular season, with a home game this Wednesday followed by a trip to Carolina from the North on Saturday. .
Messi has only played in two of the team’s last seven MLS games due to a hamstring injury, but he managed 35 minutes off the bench in the loss to Cincinnati and played 37 minutes for Argentina in their 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory over Paraguay. Friday.
If healthy, the Argentina legend – who scored 11 goals in his first season with Miami – is sure to be the main attraction for fans attending matches on this two-match tour of China, including the national team n has only participated in one World Cup. in 2002.
The Chinese Super League has managed to attract a number of high-profile Brazilian signings in recent years, including Oscar, Hulk, Alex Teixeira and Paulinho – although many of these players have now left the club.
“This will be a great opportunity to continue to build on our 2023 campaign, in which we won our first ever trophy,” said sporting director and director of football Chris Henderson.
“We will use this as an opportunity to begin our preparations for 2024, as we look to build on last season and achieve further success in the future.”
Miami, which won the Leagues Cup in August and thus qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, will play the first match of the tour in the brand new Qingdao Hainiu Stadium, with a capacity of 50,000 places, opened in April this year.
Coached by Spaniard Antonio Carreño, the team returned to the Super League in 2023 after winning successive promotions and sit in 13th place out of 16 teams with three matches remaining.
Inter Miami’s second opponent, Chengdu Rongcheng, is a five-year-old club who achieved promotion in three of their first four seasons, reaching China’s top flight in 2022, where they finished fifth. They occupy sixth place in the ranking.
