Global soccer superstar Lionel Messi will play his first and possibly only game in Utah in April when Real Salt Lake hosts Messi’s Inter Miami team.
Trey Fitz-Gerald, Real Salt Lake’s vice president of communications, said the team’s demand for tickets has been “unprecedented.”
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According to Fitz-Gerald, approximately 30,000 fans signed up for a “priority wait list” to purchase tickets as soon as the game began on April 22. Half of them were completed overnight, with 6,000 submissions in the first 30 minutes.
“He’s a unicorn,” Fitzgerald said of Messi. “When you think about athletes who have transcended their sport, it’s a very short list, right? This is Michael Jordan, this is Muhammad Ali, this is Tiger Woods, this is Wayne Gretzky. I’m probably showing my age. LeBron James definitely, Lionel Messi has done that. I think most football people believe he’s the greatest of all time.”
Fitzgerald acknowledged that some might think the title belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona or Pele.
“But what Messi has done for all the teams throughout his career is almost indescribable and, like I said, it transcends the sport,” he said.
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Messi and Inter Miami are about to be crowned MLS Cup champions.
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi raises the trophy with teammates after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps during the MLS Cup final football match on Saturday, December 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press, reporting by The Associated Press
“He’s still playing at an incredibly high level,” Fitz-Gerald said. “He set records for goals and assists in the playoffs this year. It doesn’t feel like he’s slowing down anytime soon.”
This may be the only time Messi plays in Utah. Inter Miami played its inaugural season in 2020 but had never faced Real Salt Lake at America’s No. 1 stadium.
“We’re very, very excited to finally welcome him and Miami to Utah for the first time, and who knows? It might be the only time because the scheduling formula doesn’t work to bring an Eastern Conference team to Utah every year, so we don’t know when or if we’ll see him again,” Fitz-Gerald said.
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Before the priority waiting list was opened to the public, the RSL contacted current season ticket members to see if they were interested in purchasing additional tickets.
They then contacted previous season ticket members and fans who had previously purchased ticket packages. The waiting list is then open to the public.
Given the current demand, Fitzgerald believes it is “possible” to sell single-game tickets to the public when they go on sale in January.
“It shows the interest in football in our community,” Fitzgerald said.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi holds the ball and FC Cincinnati forward Corey Baird defends during the second half of a Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinal game on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. |Tanner Pearson, The Associated Press
Messi and Inter Miami’s visit comes less than two months before the United States hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and Breian Ojeda will likely play in the tournament for the United States and Paraguay, respectively.
“They’re in the same group and they could honestly kick off the World Cup in the first game, which is a crazy possibility,” Fitz-Gerald said.