Will Lionel Messi play today? Confirmed lineups for Inter Miami vs Atlas in Leagues Cup 2025

The spotlight of the 2025 Leagues Cup shines brightly this Wednesday as Inter Miami takes on Atlas in one of the tournament’s marquee matchups, kicking off at 7:30 PM ET at Chase Stadium in Florida. All eyes are on Lionel Messi, who will start and lead the Herons in their opening match.

After missing Saturday’s match against FC Cincinnati due to an MLS suspension following his All-Star Game absence, Messi’s return to the field is sure to energize fans and raise the stakes for a high-intensity clash against a motivated Atlas side eager to make a statement against the MLS powerhouse.

The 2025 Leagues Cup kicked off Tuesday with a thrilling slate of matches that showcased the strength of Liga MX sides over their Major League Soccer counterparts. Mexican teams made a statement in this new edition of the cross-border tournament, displaying clear dominance across several high-stakes matchups.

How have the results of the competition been so far?

Toluca pulled off a stunning comeback against reigning champions Columbus Crew, overturning a 2-0 deficit. The Red Devils tied the match in regular time and went on to win 4-2 in the penalty shootout, earning two points—one for the draw and one for the shootout victory.

Club León also delivered a dramatic debut, drawing 1-1 against CF Montréal before falling 7-6 in a tense penalty shootout. Despite the loss, León still picked up a valuable point. Puebla, meanwhile, left no doubt with a commanding 3-0 win over New York City FC.

One of the standout performances came from Tigres, who dismantled Houston Dynamo 4-1. New signing Ángel Correa had a breakout game, scoring twice in his debut and leading the Mexican powerhouse to a comfortable victory. Tigres asserted their dominance from the opening whistle and never looked back.

Mazatlán’s debut was equally thrilling. The Sinaloa-based team drew 1-1 with LAFC and then triumphed in a marathon penalty shootout, winning 11-10. The win earned Mazatlán two points and left fans excited for what’s to come in their campaign.

Inter Miami vs. Atlas – Starting XI

Inter Miami: Rocco Rios Novo; Marcelo Weigandt, Maximiliano Falcon, Gonzalo Lujan, Jordi Alba; Tadeo Allende, Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez.

Atlas: Camilo Vargas; Víctor Ríos, Gaddi Aguirre, Matheus Dória, Gustavo Ferrareis; Aldo Rocha, Sergio Hernández, Rivaldo Lozano; Diego González, Uroš Đurđević, Eduardo Aguirre.