Inter Miami finally played a match in its namesake city Saturday night, hosting Austin FC at the newly opened Miami Freedom Park after more than six years of calling Fort Lauderdale home. The 26,700-seat stadium represents the culmination of David Beckham’s quest to bring Major League Soccer to Miami, a journey that began more than a dozen years ago.
“We believed in Miami,” Beckham said. “And Miami believed in us.” MLS Commissioner Don Garber attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex, which still has construction in progress and required temporary approvals from civic officials just to hold Saturday’s match.
“We made a commitment to him that he would have an option on the team, and he exercised that in Miami,” Garber said. “And it was a journey. And that journey, in many ways, didn’t end when Leo Messi joined the club. The journey really came to its conclusion today with the opening of this building.” Beckham picked Miami as his expansion spot in 2013, and the league made it official in 2014 when he formally exercised his option for an expansion franchise.
The stadium was built on the site of a former public golf course near Miami International Airport that was plowed under to make room for the facility. Construction equipment including cranes and hard hats remains scattered throughout the site, reflecting the ongoing work at Miami Freedom Park. Despite the unfinished aesthetics, some fans paid more than $1,000 on resale markets for the best seats to witness Inter Miami’s first home match since winning last season’s MLS Cup championship.
“It’s a great day for the club,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano told Apple TV before the match. “It’s our dream day.” By the time Lionel Messi came onto the field for warmups, most of the 26,700 seats were filled with fans eager to see the team play in Miami for the first time.
The opening of Miami Freedom Park marks a significant milestone for Major League Soccer’s expansion into South Florida. Garber remembers the earliest days of Beckham’s plans, noting there were twists and turns along the way before Messi’s arrival added global attention to the franchise. The stadium’s debut comes after years of venue challenges that forced the team to play home matches in Fort Lauderdale while waiting for their Miami facility to be completed.
Construction continues at the Miami Freedom Park complex, with officials working to complete the full vision for the multi-use development. The temporary approvals granted by civic officials allowed Saturday’s historic match to proceed despite the ongoing construction work throughout the site.