Inter Miami CF

When Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas landed, along with his Major League Soccer (MLS) team, in Hong Kong in February for a preseason exhibition, the sea of pink Inter Miami shirts he spotted confirmed what’s become clear: the team, which played its debut season just four years ago but last July signed Lionel Messi to a stunning deal that reordered the soccer universe, is now a globally relevant enterprise. Messi’s star power—he’s arguably the best-ever player in the world’s most popular sport—has led to an MLS attendance boom. Inter Miami has inked new multinational sponsorships—including with Visa, Royal Caribbean, and JPMorgan Chase—and expects revenue to exceed $200 million in 2024. That figure would set a new MLS record. Mas knows Messi, who’s 36 and signed with Inter Miami through the 2025 season, can’t play forever. But he believes, in the wake of Messimania, the world’s best players will find their way to South Florida. “We do anticipate, in 2027 and beyond, to have a, or multiple, global superstars on our roster,” says Mas, who owns Inter Miami along with his brother Jose and global superstar David Beckham. “We've become a beacon for the sport in the U.S. I don’t think there’s any limits to the future.”