This Saturday at 8 PM (Argentine time), Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul in the starting lineup, will face Necaxa in a Group Stage match of the 2025 Leagues Cup. The game will take place at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and will be available for streaming exclusively through Apple TV+, requiring an active subscription for access.
Inter Miami, managed by Javier Mascherano, comes off a 2-1 victory against Atlas, with goals from Telasco Segovia and Marcelo ‘Chelo’ Weigandt, while Rivaldo Lozano temporarily equalized for the Zorros. This match marked De Paul’s debut for Inter Miami. Conversely, Necaxa, led by Fernando Gago, started their tournament journey with a strong 3-1 win over Atlanta United, highlighted by a brace from Tomás Badaloni and an own goal from Brad Guzan, with Aleksei Miranchuk bringing Atlanta back to a temporary tie.
This year’s Leagues Cup began on July 29 and will run until August 31, featuring 36 teams: all 18 from Liga MX and 18 from Major League Soccer (MLS), which include the top 9 from each MLS conference in 2024, plus San Diego FC, taking over the position of Vancouver Whitecaps.
Teams will compete in a round-robin format, playing three matches against teams from the opposite league. Points will be calculated in a general table for both countries, with the unique twist that there can be no draws; matches tied at the end of regulation go to penalties, awarding two points to the winner and one to the loser.
Inter Miami has already claimed the Leagues Cup title in 2023, with Messi earning MVP honors that year.
In terms of viewership, the match will not be aired on television in Argentina but can be streamed via Apple TV+, which offers a wide variety of original content alongside MLS games and the Leagues Cup, though a subscription and “MLS Season Pass” are required.
Betting platforms currently favor Inter Miami for Saturday’s matchup, with odds of 1.50 for victory compared to 4.90 for Necaxa, while a draw is likely at around 5.00 odds.
With Messi and De Paul both eager to make an impact, fans can anticipate an exciting match that highlights the talent pool of both leagues and underscores the growing popularity of soccer in North America, providing a hopeful outlook for future competitions and fan engagement.