LAFC vs Inter Miami opens the 2026 MLS season in Los Angeles with champions defending title

Season opener pairs MLS Cup holders Inter Miami with an LAFC side reshaped by Son Heung-min

Inter Miami begin their 2026 Major League Soccer campaign in Los Angeles against LAFC, opening the new season with a matchup between the reigning MLS Cup champions and one of the league’s most consistent performers of the last decade. The game is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a venue more commonly associated with major international events and college football than club soccer.

Inter Miami enter the season as defending champions after winning MLS Cup on Dec. 6, 2025, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in Fort Lauderdale. Lionel Messi was named MLS Cup MVP after providing two assists in the final. The title was the first MLS Cup championship in club history.

Inter Miami’s title defense begins under Javier Mascherano

Miami’s title defense continues with Javier Mascherano as head coach, following the club’s appointment of the former Argentina international on a contract running through the 2027 season. In pre-match comments ahead of the opener, Mascherano said Messi and the squad were in good physical condition for the start of the campaign and emphasized that an opening match is not, by itself, a definitive measure of a season’s success.

Messi’s status has been a central storyline, with club updates indicating he returned to training on Feb. 18 after resting a lower-body muscle strain. Saturday’s match is listed as his only scheduled appearance in California in 2026.

LAFC’s home stage and new star power

LAFC’s offseason and late-2025 moves have placed additional attention on the club’s attacking profile. The team signed forward Son Heung-min from Tottenham Hotspur on a Designated Player contract through 2027, with club options extending beyond that. Son’s arrival added another global name to a match that already features Messi, and LAFC have framed the opener as a high-demand event, projecting an attendance exceeding 60,000.

• Match: LAFC vs. Inter Miami (MLS regular season)

• Date: Feb. 21, 2026

• Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Recent history between the clubs includes high-stakes Concacaf drama

While the MLS opener is a regular-season game, recent meetings have carried knockout implications. In the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, LAFC won the first leg 1-0 at home. Inter Miami responded in the second leg with a 3-1 victory, advancing 3-2 on aggregate behind two Messi goals, including a late penalty, and an additional goal that swung the series after LAFC had built a two-goal aggregate lead.

The opening weekend places the league’s defending champion into an immediate road test against an LAFC side that has blended established contributors with a marquee new forward signing.

The match also serves as an early measuring point for both clubs’ broader 2026 ambitions, with each scheduled to compete across multiple competitions as the season develops, including the Concacaf Champions Cup in the months ahead.