Because of Messi, the American club had to change their match venue

Lionel Messi has turned into a phenomenon in Major League Soccer since his arrival in North America in mid-2023, attracting huge interest from both fans and famous personalities. As the 2026 MLS season approaches, his appeal is setting another milestone.

According to the “MLS Is Back” plan scheduled for the weekend of February 21–22, Inter Miami will play several away games before inaugurating their new home stadium, Miami Freedom Park, with a match against Austin FC on April 4. In the third round, Messi’s team is expected to visit D.C. United on March 7, and before this game, the home team made a special decision.

Specifically, D.C. United moved the match from Audi Field to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, which is the home stadium of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. This will be the venue welcoming Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.This will be the place to host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

The club announced on their official website, along with a special early ticket sale: “The D.C. United vs. Inter Miami CF match on March 7, 2026, will take place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.” The main reason for the venue change is to increase capacity, from about 20,000 seats at Audi Field to over 70,000 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Since Messi joined MLS, Inter Miami and D.C. United have faced each other four times—two matches in Miami and two in Washington D.C. However, Messi missed both games in Washington due to injury recovery but played in both meetings held in Fort Lauderdale.

With a perfect home record of 2 wins out of 2, Messi is likely, barring any unexpected issues, to make his first away appearance against D.C. United. For this reason, the home team chose a bold approach: relocating the match from the capital to Baltimore to accommodate the massive audience demand.

Although the frenzy that erupted in mid-2023 has somewhat cooled down, Messi continues to break attendance records throughout the 2025 season, and this trend is expected to carry on into 2026 as the World Cup approaches. Therefore, D.C. United is not the first club to change venues because of Messi.

In 2024, Sporting Kansas City moved their match against Inter Miami from Children’s Mercy Park to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on April 13. A year later, in April 2025 (Round 9), Columbus Crew also shifted their game from Lower.com Field to Huntington Bank Stadium – home of the Cleveland Browns. All these changes were aimed at accommodating the huge crowds whenever Lionel Messi appears.