International soccer famous person Lionel Messi will play his first — and probably solely — recreation in Utah in April when Actual Salt Lake hosts Messi’s Inter Miami.
Actual Salt Lake has seen an “unprecedented” demand for tickets, in line with Trey Fitz-Gerald, the staff’s vp of communications.
Roughly 30,000 followers signed up for the “precedence waitlist” to buy tickets for the April 22 match as quickly because it was open, per Fitz-Gerald. Half of these got here in a single day, and 6,000 had been submitted within the first half-hour.
“He’s a unicorn,” Fitz-Gerald mentioned of Messi. “Whenever you consider athletes which have transcended their sport, it’s a reasonably quick record, proper? It’s Michael Jordan, it’s Muhammad Ali, it’s Tiger Woods, it’s Wayne Gretzky. I may be displaying my age. LeBron James for certain, and Lionel Messi has achieved that. I feel most soccer individuals imagine he’s the best of all time.”
Fitz-Gerald acknowledged that some might imagine that title belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona or Pele.
“However Messi with every part he’s achieved with all of his groups throughout his total profession, it virtually defies description, and like I mentioned, it’s transcended the game,” he mentioned.
Messi and Inter Miami are coming off being topped MLS Cup champions.
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi hoists the trophy alongside teammates after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps within the MLS Cup closing soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press through the Related Press
“He’s nonetheless enjoying at an extremely excessive stage,” Fitz-Gerald mentioned. “He had a record-setting variety of targets and assists within the playoffs this yr. It doesn’t really feel like he’s slowing down anytime quickly.”
There’s an opportunity this might be the one time Messi performs in Utah. Inter Miami performed its inaugural season in 2020 however has by no means performed Actual Salt Lake at America First Discipline.
“We’re so, so elated to lastly welcome him and Miami to Utah for the primary time, and who is aware of? It’d find yourself being the one time as a result of the way in which, the sort of scheduling formulation works we don’t get each Japanese Convention staff right here in Utah yearly, so we simply don’t know when or if we’ll see him once more,” Fitz-Gerald mentioned.
Earlier than the precedence waitlist opened to the general public, RSL reached out to present season ticket members to see in the event that they had been inquisitive about buying further tickets.
They then reached out to earlier season ticket members and followers who had beforehand bought ticket packages. The waitlist was then opened to the general public.
Because of the present demand, Fitz-Gerald thinks it’s “in all probability unlikely” that there can be any single-game tickets out there for most people after they go on sale in January.
“It exhibits the urge for food for soccer in our neighborhood,” Fitz-Gerald mentioned.
Inter Miami ahead Lionel Messi controls the ball as FC Cincinnati ahead Corey Baird defends throughout the second half of MLS soccer’s Japanese Convention semifinal, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. | Tanner Pearson, Related Press
Messi and Inter Miami’s go to will come lower than two months earlier than the U.S. hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Actual Salt Lake’s very personal Diego Luna and Braian Ojeda might be enjoying within the match for the U.S. and Paraguay, respectively.
“They’re in the identical group, and so they might truthfully kick off the World Cup within the first recreation in opposition to one another, which is a loopy risk,” Fitz-Gerald mentioned.