What Inter Miami fans should know ahead of stadium opener
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Lionel Messi (center) and Inter Miami training at Nu Stadium on Thursday. Photo: Courtesy of Inter Miami CF
Inter Miami fans celebrating the opening of the club's new soccer stadium Saturday should expect to navigate ongoing construction, traffic delays and public transit logistics.
Why it matters: The opening of Nu Stadium is a long time coming for a club that has played in Fort Lauderdale since 2020 and now has a permanent home in Miami on leased public land near Miami International Airport.
Driving the news: The new home of the reigning Major League Soccer champions has 26,700 seats, a partial roof canopy, the longest bar in MLS and the largest team store in the league, too.
🚧 Friction point: The stadium was considered an "active construction site" as recently as Thursday— or so the team told season ticket holders invited to a VIP preview of the stadium.
- Reporters who attended the preview confirmed that work was ongoing at the stadium Thursday, though the field was ready to host the club's first training session that day.
- Outside, soccer journalist Franco Panizo shared videos of crews using heavy machinery to touch up roads and finish landscaping work.
🏗️ The big picture: Nu Stadium will anchor the planned 131-acre Miami Freedom Park campus, which the club aims to develop into an entertainment district with dining, shopping and attractions.
- The club has said that the campus would open in phases, starting with the stadium, a 58-acre public park, youth athletic fields and more.
What they're saying: Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told WPLG Local 10's Will Manso that the team delivered the stadium on deadline as promised.
- "Obviously, outside of the stadium is a construction site," Mas said.
- Club spokesperson Molly Dreska told Axios "a few" stadium seats were to be installed Thursday night and Friday to be ready for Saturday's match.
🚆 How to get there: MIA has already warned flyers that traffic will be messy Saturday, and the club is encouraging fans to take public transit and offering a $10 concessions voucher as an incentive.
- 🚗 Fans who drive must buy a parking pass in advance.
- Dreska says there is enough parking to accommodate the stadium's full capacity, but the club is pushing public transit due to the proximity to the Miami Intermodal Center, among other factors.
- Tri-Rail, Metrorail, Metrobus, City of Miami trolley, or Broward County Transit are all options. (More info)
The bottom line: "My advice would be come very early and expect delays. Lots of construction still outside," Manso wrote on X.
If you go: Tickets start at over $200 a pop.