What's next for Inter Miami?
The Messi Era’s first phase ended with an MLS Cup and legends Alba and Busquets riding off into the sunset; the Herons are aiming higher in Phase Two.
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami captain Lionel Messi lifts the club’s first MLS Cup trophy Dec. 6 after the Herons’ 3-1 victory against the Western Conference champion Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. CREDIT: InterMiamiCF.com
Success fuels Herons’ appetite for titles
Club Internacional de Futbol Miami lifted its first MLS Cup a month ago, but Los Garzas’ front office didn’t celebrate long. The Herons are planning for bigger and better things in 2026.
“The best version of your Inter Miami is yet to come,” club co-owner Jorge Mas posted on social media in mid-December. “We cannot and will not stay static… we promise our fans and ‘La familia’ that we will reload in 2026 as our primary goal is to win the (CONCACAF Champions Cup) and qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.”
Inter Miami declared its audacious intentions even before playing its first matches in 2020: to recruit the world’s best players, to win domestic and international trophies, and to become a global soccer brand. Six years ago, those goals seemed wildly optimistic for any Major League Soccer side.
But the world took notice when the Herons signed Lionel Messi, the world’s greatest soccer player and hero of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory. Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, Javier Mascherano and Rodrigo De Paul — all world class players who played with Messi at Barcelona and/or Argentina. Messi’s gravity drew Inter Miami from MLS obscurity into global soccer’s orbit.
Success on the pitch took a little longer. Messi’s arrival coincided with Los Garza’s successful run to the inaugural Leagues Cup championship in 2023 — the team’s first major trophy — but the Herons failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Gerardo “Tata” Martinez, who had coached Barcelona and the Mexican national team and won the 2018 MLS Cup with Atlanta United, guided the Herons to a league-record 70 points in 2024 but resigned shortly after Atlanta dispatched top-seeded Miami in the postseason’s first round in perhaps the greatest upset in MLS history. The Supporters’ Shield, presented to the team with the best regular-season record, was the team’s second major trophy but felt like a consolation prize.
Enter Javier Mascherano, an iconic defender who played with Messi at Barcelona and La Albiceleste, to coach the Pink & Black. Despite never having coached at the club level, Mascherano and Inter Miami started 2025 expecting to win multiple trophies.
But competition by competition, the Herons failed to lift hardware: dominated in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals by Vancouver, booted from the FIFA Club World Cup by Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, beaten by Seattle in the Leagues Cup championship…the star-studded Inter Miami side was under tremendous pressure to win MLS Cup, its last chance for glory in 2025.
Suddenly, nearing the end of what had been a successful but disappointing season, the Herons found their form. Los Garzas won eight of their final nine matches, including playoffs, by a cumulative score of 33-8. Mascherano gave youngsters Baltasar Rodriguez and Mateo Silvetti greater responsibility, injecting new energy allowing a more direct attack and better defensive coverage. The better-balanced side played some of the most beautiful soccer ever played in South Florida during the final weeks of the season; the stretch run saw the benching of iconic striker Suarez and the resurgence of inconsistent right wing Tadeo Allende (who set a new MLS record for goals scored in a playoff tournament).
Winning heals many wounds; doubts about Mascherano’s coaching ability dissolved and despair over the Herons’ near misses in the Champions Cup and Leagues Cup evolved into appreciation for the team’s strong showing.
Fans are fickle, though, and already-high expectations are elevated heading into 2026. Every year, the Herons declare their intent to win all the trophies; four are available in 2026: Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup.
The Champions Cup is the most prestigious trophy available annually to club sides in North and Central America. Mexican teams have dominated the competition, making it even more important to American and Canadian sides as a barometer of their leagues’ quality.
The Leagues Cup is a partnership between Liga MX and Major League Soccer that still is trying to establish itself as a legitimate competition. Through its first three iterations, all matches have been played in the United States. The tournament has provided some exciting matches and it’s fun to see North America’s top teams compete, but Leagues Cup remains primarily a made-for-TV, revenue-generating enterprise.
Most fans disregard Supporters’ Shield, but it does represent a significant achievement. And the award isn’t just symbolic; the team with the best overall record earns home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup playoffs, including the final. That’s not nothing.
Finally, the Herons will try to become the first team to defend its MLS title since the Los Angeles Galaxy, who won the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cups.
If winning Champions Cup is the Herons’ top priority, repeating as league champions must be second; that makes earning another Supporters’ Shield (and home-field advantage) even more important. The Leagues Cup is considered a major tournament only because CONCACAF uses it as a qualifier for the next season’s Champions Cup.
UP NEXT: Building the 2026 Herons.