SOCCER: Inter Miami book White House visit to celebrate MLS title

Inter Miami will celebrate the first MLS Cup championship in club history with a March 5 visit to the White House, The Athletic and the Miami Herald reported on Friday.

The Herald cited a source indicating that "everyone" from the club would be in attendance to meet President Donald Trump, meaning that Lionel Messi is expected to be there.

The visit is scheduled two days before Inter Miami will oppose D.C. United in Washington.

Many MLS Cup champions have been honored in White House ceremonies, including the Columbus Crew in September 2024 after they won the title the prior season.

The 2024 MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy didn't go to the White House last year, but the Galaxy were feted there following their title runs in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Among the players meeting with President Barack Obama to celebrate the 2011 championship was then-Galaxy star David Beckham, now the co-owner of Inter Miami.

Messi has never been to the White House, despite having been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in January 2025. The Argentine superstar missed the ceremony because of scheduling issues.

Trump has worked closely with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the leadup to the World Cup that will be jointly hosted this summer by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Inter Miami began as an MLS expansion team in 2020 and endured three rough seasons until Messi's arrival in 2023. The World Cup-winning forward powered the Herons to the Leagues Cup title in 2023 and the MLS Supporters' Shield in 2024 before the team captured the MLS Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps last December.

-Field Level Media/Reuters