Vancouver Whitecaps to host Inter Miami, but will Messi show up this time?

Inter Miami FC and international soccer superstar Lionel Messi are once again scheduled to play against the Whitecaps at BC Place.

But Whitecaps fans are left wondering: will the international superstar make the trip this time?

In May 2024, 54,000 ticketholders for a game between the two teams were left disappointed when it was announced just two days before that Messi — as well as Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets — would not be playing. As compensation, the Whitecaps offered a 50 per cent discount off all in-stadium food and beverages during the match, which didn’t sit well with some supporters who had paid hundreds of dollars to watch the match.

This year’s game on April 24 is the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinal, and with the possibility of seeing Messi play, tickets are a hot commodity, selling out shortly after they went on sale to the general public.

“Having Messi and his buddies show up here, it brings interest to the local game,” said Peter Czimmermann, president of the Vancouver Southsiders.

“I know it’s going to fill the stadium, and it helps to show the city that we have a great soccer team.”

Fans this year are hopeful this time will be different and the soccer legend will show up.

“He needs to play in order for them to have a chance to make it to the final, and I think that’s important for any team to field their best players,” Czimmermann said.

“It’s a very big deal. It’s a major tournament… and it’s basically fighting to be the top North American club.”

Tickets to the game are being resold for over $100 to more than $1,000. Czimmermann says it’s nice to see the hype around the game and hopes it leads to lifelong fans.

“We want these people to turn into Whitecaps supporters and we want to grow as much,” he said.

“This team deserves the attention it’s going to get.”

— With files from Charles Brockman and Emma Crawford.