Here’s a peek inside Nu Stadium as Messi, Inter Miami train there for opener
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates trained at their new $350 million home, Nu Stadium, for the first time Thursday morning as season-ticket holders got a sneak peek of the long-awaited 26,700-seat venue adjacent to Miami International Airport.
The stadium gates officially open on Saturday for the 7:30 p.m. game against Austin FC. Despite the dust and ongoing construction inside and outside the building, it will be game-ready and fan-friendly, assured managing owner Jorge Mas, who addressed the fans from the field.
“Welcome to your new home; this is our gift to your city,” he said, proudly surveying the seats, alternated in pink, black, gray and white with some black seats used to spell out “Inter Miami” and form the shape a heron, the team’s mascot.
Mas’ co-owner David Beckham, the British soccer icon who for 12 years dreamed of a Miami MLS stadium in the heart of the city, was among the first to kick a ball on the newly laid field before the players showed up.
The Bermudagrass pitch drew praise from coach Javier Mascherano and players, as did the locker room. The luxury lounges are ready. The two-story team store, largest in MLS, is stocked with pink merchandise. The concession stands will be open. The five-story parking garage is operational.
Even the weather alert system was put to the test on Thursday, as rain and lightning interrupted the training session.
“A few days away from the opening, this is truly a dream come true,” Mas said. “This stadium was born of a dream to create in my hometown a first-class stadium to celebrate futbol. I want Miami to be the capital of futbol with our club and our captain, Lionel Messi. It is an important day seeing fans and members of the media here for the first time.
“This project took years, but the construction has been fast and we delivered. We kept our word. All construction projects are complicated, but we will be able to open on Saturday. As you can see, everything is not finished. We will get there, put the final touches on, but we can see the potential of what we’re doing.”
Mas said he and his brother, Jose, “have spent endless nights here,” and acknowledged there is still much work to be done. A few sections of seats were scheduled to be installed on Thursday and Friday nights.
The outside areas around the stadium remain a massive construction zone, with many cranes, cones, forklifts, trucks hauling heavy equipment and a crew of 1,300 workers in hard hats and day-glow vests toiling to have it as ready as possible. Giant palm trees lay on their sides waiting to be planted. Sidewalks and interior roads are still in the process of being paved.
“There’s a lot to do in the next 48 hours, but it’s all being done to make this a great fan experience on Saturday,” Mas said. “Obviously, the second game will be better, and the third and fourth as you grow into any new facility, the experiences will get smoother and better, but I’m very, very happy with what’s happened in the time period we’ve had to complete the stadium.”
Fans entering the stadium will be welcomed by large photos depicting the 2025 MLS Cup title run.
Messi’s presence is all over the stadium, from his No. 10 jersey and Funko Pop! collectible for sale at the team store to the designated “Leo Messi Stand” seating sections to Club de la Milanesa, one of the food concession stands co-owned by Messi and featuring his favorite dish, the Milanesa (thin, breaded breaded beef/chicken/veal cutlets).
Messi participated in the first half of the training session on Thursday but was held out of the latter part because he just returned from national team duty in Argentina, Mascherano explained. He is expected to be ready for the game on Saturday.
The game-day commute will be longer for most of the Inter Miami players and coaches, who reside in Broward County and will continue to train at the club’s Fort Lauderdale practice facility. But they are excited about finally having a permanent, state-of-the-art home after six seasons at the temporary 21,000-seat Chase Stadium, previously DRV PNK Stadium.
“The field is perfect, the locker rooms and facilities for the team are impressive, and now it’s time to start using the stadium, enjoy it and most of all inaugurate it the best way possible, with a victory,” Mascherano said.
Defender Noah Allen, who grew up in Pembroke Pines and came up through the Inter Miami youth academy, said it was “a sick feeling” stepping out of the tunnel into the new stadium.
“It was unbelievable, the pitch was great; obviously, it’s brand new so it’s going to be perfect, and it was cool to see the setup, how closed it is, and I was envisioning fans being in there and being loud,” he said. “To think how far the club has come is great to see.”
Midfielder Alexander Shaw, 17, grew up in Miami Lakes and joined the Inter Miami academy at U12. He signed his first professional contract with the club last month.
“I’m living a dream, coming from the academy and being here so long,” Shaw said. “Knowing about Miami Freedom Park being built and visualizing it since I was young and to see it come to fruition was insane. This is our stadium. Look at our names on our lockers and this is all ours. This is our home and we have to protect it. I can’t wait to start playing here.”
The stadium food options reflect Miami’s diverse cultures. The concession stands include Coyo Taco, La Birra Bar, Mr. Choripan (Argentine sandwiches), Doggi’s Arepas (Venezuelan arepas), Peppi’s Cheesesteaks and Hoagies, Churromania and Dale Dog, Eat JRK (Jamaican specialties), Vice City Pie pizza, Caracas Bakery (Venezuelan pastries), Cielito Artisan Pops, Ola Gelato, Jackson Brothers Ice Cream, Italian Vice, and Dippin’ Dots. For those looking for a coffee jolt, Café Bustelo Ventanita.
Fans who like to shop will have plenty of items to peruse at the 11,000 square-foot team store, including more than 40 footwear options in the adidas World section of the shop, a New Era hat wall with more than 140 hats and the Funko Experience, where fans can make a personalized collectible of themselves in Inter Miami gear.
There will also be limited edition opening day merchandise commemorating the first game at Nu Stadium.
Season-ticket members who showed up on Thursday, including many from the team’s rabid supporter groups, were excited by what they saw and looked forward to making noise and banging drums on Saturday.
“To me, it’s perfect because Inter Miami is playing in Miami, so it’s great that they have their own stadium,” said Eric Ramirez, a fan since the team’s inaugural 2020 season. “Nu Stadium is beautiful. Once it’s 100 percent complete, on the outside especially, it’s going to be fantastic for all the fans. My first impression was that I was mind blown.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 4:04 PM.