Lionel Messi missing Inter Miami game prompts MLS team to offer fans free tickets for future match
After Lionel Messi didn’t make the trip to Houston, the Dynamo offered fans who purchased tickets for Sunday’s game against Inter Miami a make-up for their troubles. Matches against Messi-led Inter Miami have been one of the hottest tickets in Major League Soccer since the global sports icon joined the team in 2023, but teams have also been forced to make up for the games where the striker isn’t on the pitch — which happened to Houston. The Dynamo announced in a statement Saturday that offering a complimentary ticket to anyone at Sunday night’s game.“The Houston Dynamo are excited to host Inter Miami CF at Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday evening,” the club said in a statement.“The recently shared player status report for the match did not include forward Lionel Messi, but it has been reported he did not make the trip to Houston.
Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent.“We look forward to hosting everyone tomorrow for what will be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for the city of Houston.To show our appreciation, fans who attend tomorrow night’s match can claim a complimentary ticket to a future Dynamo match this season.
Additional details will be provided early next week.”Even without Messi on the field, attendance for Sunday night’s game was announced as 20,810 at Shell Energy Stadium. Sunday marked the first time that Messi skipped a competitive match in 2025 after he had played in both Miami’s Concacaf Champions Cup games along with their season opener last weekend against New York City FC. Last season, the Vancouver Whitecaps gave out 50 percent discounts on all food at the stadium when Messi did not play in the Canadian city, and in 2023 the Chicago Fire offered credits to those who had purchased tickets for the match against Inter Miami that Messi did not play in. Messi games remain in high demand for soccer fans around the country and often can be some of the priciest MLS tickets on th...