Feb. 28, 2026, 1:18 p.m. ET
MLS champion Inter Miami will visit President Donald Trump and the White House to celebrate its 2025 championship before an match upcoming against D.C. United, a club source confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t yet announced the plans.
The Athletic first reported the visit would occur on March 5 – two days before the March 7 match at Audi Field in Washington D.C. The Miami Herald reported “everyone” from the club is expected to attend, meaning Argentine World Cup champion Lionel Messi, the two-time MLS MVP, could be present for the ceremony.
It would be Messi’s first visit to the White House. Messi was unable to visit when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden due to a scheduling issue in Jan. 2025.
If Messi does attend, Trump will have met two of soccer’s greatest sportsman in the last five months before the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo attended a black-tie dinner at the White House when Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman last November.
It’s become customary for American sports league champions to visit the White House to celebrate their titles, however the topic has become a bit of controversy following the Winter Olympics.
Trump invited both the gold-medal men’s and women’s hockey teams, but the women declined their invite.
Inter Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 to win the 2025 MLS Cup on Dec. 6, 2025. They will face Orlando City in their second match of the season on Sunday, March 1.
