When does Inter Miami 2024 season begin? Lionel Messi back in action in February with MLS, Champions Cup
In his first season with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi will enjoy something he isn’t exactly used to: an extended break.
Well … maybe “enjoy” isn’t the right word. With their 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati on October 7, Inter Miami officially failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs, meaning their final two matches of the 2023 season will be merely a formality.
That means that Messi’s next few months will see him get significant rest, only potentially playing for the Argentina national team during that time.
The Sporting News explains when Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and their Inter Miami teammates will be back on the pitch in early 2024.
MORE: Lionel Messi called up to Argentina national team for October qualifiers
When will Inter Miami start the 2024 season?
The 2024 MLS season schedule has not yet been released, but it will likely start in either late February or early March. For comparison, the 2023 season began on February 25.
Next season may potentially start slightly sooner than that. It’s widely expected Major League Soccer will vote this offseason to change the schedule and pause league play during FIFA international breaks starting in 2024, which would mean the league must find other times to play those games. Therefore, stretching the season earlier and later could be an option.
To give a general guideline as to when the 2024 schedule will be announced, the 2023 schedule was released on December 22, 2022.
However, Inter Miami’s season could begin before most MLS clubs. This is because they will take part in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, which usually begins either slightly before or slightly after the Major League Soccer season starts.
CONCACAF has released the first few dates for the coming tournament. With Inter Miami entering in the Round of 16, their season will start no later than the week of March 5-7, as that is when that stage will be contested. Depending on when the MLS season begins, they could be in play already by that time, but should MLS begin its regular season after that weekend, they would start their season in continental play.
MORE: Argentina match schedule for 2023 with CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying underway
Will Lionel Messi play during the MLS offseason?
It’s of course possible that Lionel Messi finds another club to secure a short-term loan with which to bridge the gap, but it feels far more likely that Messi, now 36 years old, will embrace the lengthy rest.
However, Messi will still likely need to stay match-fit in order to play for the Argentina national team in the coming weeks and months.
Messi was called up by Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni for their October World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru, and it’s a virtual certainty that he will be included for the November international break, which includes a massive tilt with arch-rivals Brazil.
MORE: What is the CONCACAF Champions Cup? 2024 name change for North American competition
Following those two games, Argentina do not currently have any scheduled fixtures until late 2024 when CONMEBOL resumes its qualification schedule, although the 2024 Copa America looms during the coming summer.
Still, from November through February, Messi will have ample time to rest and recover to make sure he is ready to play when the 2024 season kicks off.
Currently, Inter Miami only have one scheduled friendly, against New York City FC on November 10, alongside a likely friendly against Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys, in February 2024.
