Messi, Inter Miami set for White House visit to celebrate MLS Cup title

MLS champion Inter Miami will visit President Donald Trump at the White House next week to celebrate the club’s 2025 championship, a team source confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The visit is scheduled for March 5 — two days before Miami faces D.C. United at Audi Field — with the full team expected to attend, according to reports from The Athletic and the Miami Herald.

That means Argentine World Cup champion Lionel Messi, the two-time MLS MVP, could make his first-ever visit to the White House.

Messi was previously unable to attend a ceremony when President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2025 due to a scheduling conflict.

If Messi participates, it would mark the second time in five months Trump has hosted one of soccer’s legendary figures. Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer, attended a black-tie dinner at the White House last November when Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The visit comes as the United States, Canada and Mexico prepare to co-host the 2026 World Cup.

White House championship celebrations have long been a tradition for American sports champions, though the practice has drawn renewed attention following the Winter Olympics. Trump invited both the gold-medal men’s and women’s hockey teams, but the women’s team declined.

Inter Miami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 to win the 2025 MLS Cup on Dec. 6. The team opens its 2026 season Sunday against Orlando City before traveling to Washington for the White House visit and subsequent match.