Messi kicks off MLS season in key World Cup year
The Hindu
Messi kicks off the MLS season amid heightened interest ahead of the 2026 World Cup, promising an exciting year for soccer.
Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer this weekend as the rapidly growing U.S. domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in interest from the upcoming World Cup.
Messi— MLS's undisputed flagship star— will lace up his boots for a fourth year with Inter Miami, who take on South Korean ace Son Heung-min's Los Angeles FC in Saturday's (February 21, 2026) opener at the 70,000-capacity Memorial Coliseum.
It is a suitably splashy start for a season that will be split in two by the 2026 World Cup, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
World Cup host countries typically see boosts in attendance and interest for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep U.S. eyeballs on the planet's biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.
"This is a massive year for Major League Soccer," said league commissioner Don Garber, describing the season as "a seminal moment for our sport."
The MLS season will this year have a seven-week interruption for the World Cup in June and July.
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