Messi boards plane to Vancouver for sold-out Whitecaps match at BC Place
The wait is over. Lionel Messi is on a plane to Vancouver, getting ready to take on the Whitecaps.
The speculation over whether the Argentinian star would travel west to face the Whitecaps in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final has been put to rest. Inter Miami CF posted a photo of him boarding a plane, captioned “Next Stop: Vancouver.”
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Messi infamously skipped last year’s regular-season MLS game in Vancouver. This year, he appears set to play, likely because the stakes are higher. A berth in the finals of North America’s premier club competition is on the line.
While Messi is travelling to Vancouver, that still doesn’t guarantee he’ll play, and if he does play, that he’ll suit up for all 90 minutes. However, there’s no reason to believe he’d travel and not play at this point.
✈️ Next stop: Vancouver 🍁 pic.twitter.com/FtLzsoika3
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 23, 2025
Fans in Vancouver have been looking forward to this matchup ever since the Whitecaps and Miami were drawn together in the Concacaf Champions Cup bracket. The Whitecaps pulled out two huge results to advance to this semi-final, setting up a date against Messi and Miami.
Tickets for the big game sold out quickly and have been reselling for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. More than 54,000 fans are expected to pack BC Place, which would easily mark a season high.
Kickoff for the Whitecaps game against Messi is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Messi is not the only big-profile player on the Miami roster. Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets all enjoyed lengthy careers in Europe before joining the MLS. The Whitecaps will have their hands full game-planning to defend them all.
The match tomorrow will be the first leg of the two-game series. The two teams will play the second leg in Miami on Wednesday, April 30, to decide the victor. The other side of the CONCACAF Champions Cup bracket has Mexican teams Tigres UANL and Cruz Azul, both strong sides in the Liga MX.