Inter Miami and Lionel Messi are going worldwide in 2024 with the preseason schedule taking the Herons to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and who knows where else. The Inter Miami preseason travel will be intense.
The idea of Miami touring the world and fans getting to see one last Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo game is exciting on paper. When you start adding up the miles that the club will travel you start to feel a little bad for the Miami players.
Here are the dates and opponents announced so far.
Inter Miami 2024 preseason schedule
- Jan. 19: Inter Miami vs. El Salvador national team (San Salvador, El Salvador)
- Jan. 29: Inter Miami vs. Al-Hilal (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Feb. 1: Inter Miami vs. Al Nassr (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Feb. 4: Inter Miami vs. Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
The club stated that more games will be announced meaning Miami could be going elsewhere this winter.
Travel will play a major factor for the players as they will literally be going around the entire world for their preseason. One of the pros of having Messi on your team is all the attention, apparently one of the cons is everyone wants your team to play in exhibitions games now.
Here’s a breakdown of the number of miles Inter Miami will travel for their preseason.
- Miami to San Salvador (and back to Miami): 2,046 miles
- Miami to Riyadh: 7,468 miles
- Riyadh to Hong Kong: 4,221 miles
- Hong Kong back to Miami: 8,990 miles
Total distance travel: 22,725 miles
That’s an insane distance to travel over the course of three weeks. These calculations are also done assuming Inter Miami won’t make any connecting flights.
The Herons' suggestion that more matches will be announced would add even more miles.
At this rate the Inter Miami players will need an offseason from their preseason.
The 2024 MLS regular season will begin in February.
