Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, revealed their plans for a two-game postseason tour of China.
Following the conclusion of their 2023 MLS campaign, which ends just over two weeks earlier, Inter Miami is scheduled to visit China to play against Chinese Super League teams Qingdao Hainiu FC and Chengdu Rongcheng on November 5 and 8, respectively.
“We’re very excited to continue to expand our club’s global reach, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans across the globe,” Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said.
“This is a special opportunity to share the passion as we reach new audiences and put ourselves on display in new places, and we’re looking forward to beginning this adventure.”
Miami, which was eliminated from playoff contention after a loss to FC Cincinnati in its most recent game, has two matchups against Charlotte FC remaining in the MLS regular season, at home on Wednesday and in Charlotte on Saturday.
Messi has played in only two of the team’s past seven MLS games because of a hamstring injury, but he did manage 35 minutes off the bench in the loss to Cincinnati and played 37 minutes for Argentina in its 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Paraguay on Friday.
If healthy, the Argentine legend, who has scored 11 goals in his first season with Miami, will certainly be the main attraction for fans attending games on this two-game tour of China, whose national team has only appeared in one World Cup (2002).
The Chinese Super League has managed to attract a number of high-profile Brazilian signings over recent years, including Oscar, Hulk, Alex Teixeira and Paulinho, though many of those players have now moved on.
“This will be a great opportunity to continue building on our 2023 campaign, in which we achieved our first-ever trophy,” sporting director and chief soccer officer Chris Henderson said.
“We will take this as an opportunity to begin our preparations for 2024, as we look to build on last season and find more success moving forward.”
Miami, which secured victory in the Leagues Cup this August and, as a result, qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, is scheduled to kick off the tour with a match at Qingdao Hainiu’s recently inaugurated 50,000-seat stadium, which opened its doors in April.
The team, under the leadership of Spanish coach Antonio Carreño, made a triumphant return to the Super League in 2023 after achieving successive promotions. They are currently in the 13th position among 16 teams, with three games left in the season.
As for Chengdu Rongcheng, this five-year-old club made impressive strides by earning promotions in three of its first four seasons, ultimately ascending to the Chinese top flight in 2022, where they finished fifth. At present, they hold the sixth position in the league standings.