Inter Miami will begin the 2026 MLS season aiming to build on the first league title in the club’s history, after beating Vancouver in last season’s final.
The Florida-based club, founded in 2018, has quickly become one of the most prominent teams in Major League Soccer after assembling a squad featuring Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.
Inter Miami’s success last season followed their victory in the MLS Supporters’ Shield the season before. That trophy is awarded to the team with the best regular-season points record across the Eastern and Western conferences.
The club, whose president is David Beckham, then secured the first major league title in its history by overcoming Vancouver in the final. It now faces a new campaign with fresh players added to its squad as it seeks to defend that crown.
Messi remains the central figure in Inter Miami’s plans. The Argentina captain is expected to lead a team that has attracted global attention since the arrival of several former Barcelona stars, including Busquets, Alba and Suarez.
Major League Soccer consists of 29 teams divided between two conferences. The Eastern Conference contains 15 clubs, while the Western Conference has 14.
Inter Miami compete in the Eastern Conference and will play 34 matches during the regular season. The seven highest-placed teams in each conference will qualify directly for the play-offs, while the teams finishing eighth and ninth will enter the preliminary stage.
The opening round of the play-offs will be played as a best-of-three series. The conference semi-finals and final will then be decided over one match, with those games hosted by the team that finished higher in the regular-season standings.
The 2026 campaign therefore presents Inter Miami with the challenge of following up their breakthrough title while competing through the Eastern Conference’s regular-season schedule and the subsequent play-offs.
Supporters will be able to watch Inter Miami’s MLS matches live, including Lionel Messi’s appearances, through the Apple TV app. Apple TV is the platform carrying live coverage of the team’s league games during the 2026 season.
Inter Miami’s rise has been driven by the presence of internationally recognised players and the club’s increasing profile since its establishment. The addition of new squad members gives the reigning champions another opportunity to extend their success after winning the title against Vancouver in the previous season’s final.
With Messi at the heart of the project, Inter Miami will begin the new MLS season defending the club’s first championship and pursuing another strong finish in the Eastern Conference.
