The Messi Cup brings together the world’s best youth teams in Miami: the tournament that aims to crown the stars of the future
Por Carlos Rodríguez ·
Lionel Messi announced on Tuesday the second edition of the “Messi Cup,” a tournament that will bring together 16 of the world’s top youth academies in Miami from October 25 to November 1, and which crowned River Plate as champion in its inaugural edition.
“The ‘Messi Cup,’ even bigger! 16 clubs from 9 countries. Bringing together the world’s best young talents once again. Today’s game, tomorrow’s players,” the Argentine star posted on his Instagram, along with a video featuring highlights from the last tournament.
The Elite of Youth Soccer Gather in Miami
Among the participants in this new edition of the Messi Cup are the U-16 teams from Inter Miami, Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Boca Juniors, and River Plate.
The remaining teams include Ajax, Inter Milan, Benfica, Palmeiras, Newell’s Old Boys, Flamengo, Independiente del Valle, and UE Cornellà.
The latter is a Spanish team owned by Messi.
“We’re very happy to see the tournament grow and to be able to bring together players from so many of the world’s great clubs to compete, share experiences, and, above all, enjoy soccer,” Messi said in a statement.
[pullquote quote=”Today’s game, tomorrow’s soccer players” cite=”Lionel Messi”]
Nu Stadium, Inter Miami’s home stadium, will host several of the matches, according to the statement, which revealed that the schedule and other details will be announced shortly.
River Plate won the first edition after defeating Atlético Madrid 2-0 in the final, played on December 14 at Chase Stadium (Filed under: The Messi Cup will bring together 16 youth teams in Miami).
With information from EFE
Messi bids farewell to Argentina after 21 years
On August 31, 2026, Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the Argentine national team, bringing to a close a career that began in 2005.
At 39, the captain explained that he felt the time had come to bring his career to a close.
He is leaving after winning, among other titles, the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the 2024 Copa América.
In addition to competing in the 2026 World Cup final.
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