Lionel Messi guided Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup title, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at Chase Stadium on Saturday. The win, on December 6, 2025, gave him his first league crown on American soil and capped a season that saw him named MLS MVP.
An early gift, then a fightback
The final opened with fortune in the 8th minute, an Édier Ocampo own goal after Messi and Rodrigo De Paul worked a move on the touchline. Vancouver responded firmly, controlling long stretches and creating the better chances. Ali Ahmed levelled the score in the 60th minute to put the result back in doubt.
The pass that decided the match
The night swung on one flash of Argentine precision. Messi stole the ball at midfield and threaded a pass through a tight gap in a wall of defenders for De Paul to finish in the 71st minute. The pink-clad crowd erupted as Messi leapt into his teammate's arms.
Messi sealed the outcome deep into stoppage time, slipping Tadeo Allende through for a low finish in the 96th minute. Those two assists lifted his playoff total to a record 15 goal contributions across the postseason.
A club first and a 47th trophy
Inter Miami became the 16th different club to lift the MLS Cup, doing so in their sixth season. The silverware marked a world‑record 47th trophy for Messi at club or country level, while retiring Spanish veterans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets departed as champions.
“Last year we finished first in the league and unfortunately we were knocked out in the first round,” Messi told reporters afterwards. “The MLS was the ultimate prize.”
The night in Fort Lauderdale added a fresh chapter to a story that had already passed through Barcelona and World Cup glory in Lusail.
