MLS Cup 2025 Final Preview
Saturday, Dec. 6 | 2:30 pm ET / 11:30 am PT | Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale | Watch: MLS Season Pass/Apple TV | USA: FOX, FOX Deportes | Canada: TSN, RDS |
The 30th season of Major League Soccer will conclude with a first-time champion as Inter Miami CF hosts Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi. Both clubs are making their debut appearance in the league’s title match, setting up a historic showdown in Fort Lauderdale.
This East vs. West clash also brings a rematch of their 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, when Vancouver stunned Miami 5-1 on aggregate back in April. Eight months later, both sides arrive transformed — and surging — as they chase the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.
Inter Miami have exploded during the 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, outscoring opponents 17-4 while playing their best soccer since Lionel Messi’s arrival in 2023.
Messi — fresh off winning the 2025 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi (29g/19a) — has shattered postseason records with 13 goal contributions (6g/7a). His command of the playoffs has been electrifying, elevating a Miami side that has finally found peak form under first-year head coach Javier Mascherano.
The Messi era has already delivered the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield, but MLS Cup remains the missing jewel. A championship would provide a storybook ending for two of Messi’s longtime former FC Barcelona teammates: Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Both announced earlier this year that the 2025 season will be their last. A title would send the Spanish legends into retirement on top, adding an emotional edge to Miami’s quest.
Across the continent, Vancouver are in the midst of the greatest season in club history. Under first-year manager Jesper Sørensen, the Whitecaps collected a club-record 63 regular-season points, reached the Concacaf Champions Cup final, and claimed a fourth straight Canadian Championship.
The turning point came in midsummer with the arrival of Thomas Müller, the iconic Germany and Bayern Munich attacker. His 9 goals and 4 assists in 12 matches have transformed Vancouver’s attack and leadership core.
This team is not just about star power — it’s richly balanced, disciplined, and built on rising talent.
Two members of the 2025 MLS Best XI headline the roster: Tristan Blackmon (CB) and Sebastian Berhalter (CM).
Both are pushing for places on the United States’ 2026 World Cup roster, while Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson (Canada) and Andrés Cubas (Paraguay) are also on World Cup paths.
Vancouver’s attacking depth is strengthening just in time: Striker Brian White has returned from a hamstring injury. Captain Ryan Gauld is gradually regaining fitness after a major knee setback.
With Müller orchestrating, White finishing, and Gauld re-emerging, the Whitecaps enter the final with one of the most tactically fluid attacks in MLS.
Vancouver embarrassed Miami in the Champions Cup semifinal, dominating over two legs. Miami insists they are a different team now — tougher, sharper, and healthier.
While Messi has not announced any plans to retire, speculation always surrounds his future. What’s certain: he is still capable of altering any match at any moment.
Müller, Gauld, and White form a creative and intelligent front three. Miami counters with Messi, Luis Suárez, and a midfield that has been excellent at controlling tempo.
Both head coaches are in their first MLS season — and both have already overachieved. Their tactical adjustments will likely define the match.
The winner will become the 18th club to win MLS Cup and MLS’s newest champion. For Miami, it’s the chance to cement an era defined by global superstardom. For Vancouver, it would complete a dream season that rewrote the club’s history books.
What started in July 2023 with Messi’s stunning arrival and in Vancouver with a bold managerial hire and a superstar acquisition now comes down to 90 — or 120 — minutes.
MLS Cup 2025: a first-time champion, a superstar showdown, and a league celebrating its 30th season with a final worthy of the moment.
