Is Lionel Messi playing today? Status, lineup for next Inter Miami game vs. Charlotte FC

Every week, Lionel Messi garners more attention than any other player in Major League Soccer.

The Argentine star is largely considered the greatest player of all time, and therefore his every move is watched closely by fans and media alike.

Messi has rewritten the football record books throughout his illustrious career, but he has also occasionally struggled with muscle injuries and other fitness concerns. As he will turn 38 years old in the middle of the 2025 season, there are more eyeballs than ever on his weekly game status.

The Sporting News takes a look at whether Messi is available for selection, and what the likelihood of him seeing the field is on a game-to-game basis.

Is Lionel Messi playing today? Next Inter Miami match vs. Charlotte FCNext match: Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC — Sunday, March 9, 2025 @ 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PTLionel Messi status: Named to the benchLionel Messi sat out the 4-1 win at Houston Dynamo on Sunday, despite not being confirmed as injured prior to the game, which led to plenty of anger from home fans. He then also missed the home CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Jamaican side Cavalier, prompting questions about a possible fitness concern.

Under threat of missing a third straight match, Messi was named to the bench against Charlotte FC at home, indicating there is clearly some kind of issue that the club has kept quiet.

It would have been reasonable to rest Messi for an early-season road trip to Houston in league play. It also would have been defensible to keep Messi out of both CONCACAF Champions Cup matches against a small overseas club.

Yet it makes little season for Inter Miami to keep Messi on the bench for a third straight match, especially at home against Charlotte with the road trip to Jamaica coming up. Unless there’s some kind of fitness concern, it’s nonsensical for Messi not to play. The ever-accurate Gaston Edul reports that the “intent” is for Messi to play off the bench, but we’ll see.

Inter Miami matches 2024/25: Schedule and resultsThe Sporting News will be updating the table below with the latest results from Inter Miami’s 2024/25 season as the matches happen.

MORE: All the latest soccer action | Lionel Messi news

DateCompetitionStageOpponentHome
/Away
/NeutralResult/Time
(ET)Messi Goal(s)Wed, Feb. 19CONCACAF Champions CupRound OneSporting KCAW 1-01Sat, Feb. 22MLSRegular seasonNYCFCHD 2-20Tue, Feb. 25CONCACAF Champions CupRound OneSporting KCHW 3-11Sun, Mar. 2MLSRegular seasonHouston DynamoAW 4-1DNPThur, Mar. 6CONCACAF Champions CupQuarterfinalsCavalierHW 2-0DNPSun, Mar. 9MLSRegular seasonCharlotte FCH4 p.m. Thu, Mar. 13CONCACAF Champions CupQuarterfinalsCavalierA7 p.m. Sun, Mar. 16MLSRegular seasonAtlanta UnitedA7 p.m. Sat, Mar. 29MLSRegular seasonPhiladelphia UnionH7:30 p.m. Sun, Apr. 6MLSRegular seasonToronto FCH7 p.m. Sun, Apr. 13MLSRegular seasonCharlotte FCA4:30 p.m. Sat, Apr. 19MLSRegular seasonColumbus CrewA4:30 p.m. Sat, Apr. 26MLSRegular seasonFC DallasH7:30 p.m. Sat, May 3MLSRegular seasonNY Red BullsH7:30 p.m. Sat, May 10MLSRegular seasonMinnesota UnitedA4:30 p.m. Wed, May 14MLSRegular seasonSan Jose EarthquakesA10:30 p.m. Sun, May 18MLSRegular seasonOrlando CityH7 p.m. Sat, May 24MLSRegular seasonPhiladelphia UnionA7:30 p.m. Wed, May 28MLSRegular seasonCF MontrealH7:30 p.m. Sat, May 31MLSRegular seasonColumbus CrewH7:30 p.m. Sat, Jun. 14FIFA Club World CupGroup stageAl AhlyN8 p.m. Thu, Jun. 19FIFA Club World CupGroup stagePortoN3 p.m. Mon, Jun. 23FIFA Club World CupGroup stagePalmeirasN9 p.m. Sat, Jun. 28*MLSRegular seasonAtlanta UnitedH7:30 p.m. Sat, Jul. 5*MLSRegular seasonCF MontrealA7:30 p.m. Wed, Jul. 9*MLSRegular seasonNew England RevolutionA7:30 p.m. Sat, Jul. 12*MLSRegular seasonNashville SCH7:30 p.m. Wed, Jul. 16MLSRegular seasonFC CincinnatiA7:30 p.m. Sat, Jul. 19MLSRegular seasonNY Red BullsA7:30 p.m. Sat, Jul. 26MLSRegular seasonFC CincinnatiH7 p.m. Wed, Jul. 30Leagues CupGroup stageAtlasHTBD Sat, Aug. 2Leagues CupGroup stageNecaxaHTBD Wed, Aug. 6Leagues CupGroup stagePumas UNAMHTBD Sun, Aug. 10**MLSRegular seasonOrlando CityA8 p.m. Sat, Aug. 16**MLSRegular seasonLA GalaxyH7:30 p.m. Sat, Aug. 23**MLSRegular seasonD.C. UnitedA7:30 p.m. Sat, Aug. 30**MLSRegular seasonChicago FireH7:30 p.m. Sat, Sep. 13MLSRegular seasonCharlotte FCA7:30 p.m. Tue, Sep. 16MLSRegular seasonSeattle SoundersH7:30 p.m. Sat, Sep. 20MLSRegular seasonD.C. UnitedH7:30 p.m. Wed, Sep. 24MLSRegular seasonNYCFCA7:30 p.m. Sat, Sep. 27MLSRegular seasonToronto FCA4:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 4MLSRegular seasonNew England RevolutionH7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 18MLSRegular seasonNashville SCA6 p.m. * At risk of being postponed should Inter Miami progress to the Club World Cup knockout phase.
** At risk of being postponed should Inter Miami progress to the Leagues Cup knockout phase.