Inter Miami drew 3-3 with Charlotte FC after squandering a three-goal lead on the final matchday of the MLS regular season, held on November 7, 2026, at Nu Stadium in Florida.
Lionel Messi’s team finished second in the Eastern Conference and is now preparing for the postseason.
Before the opening goal, a Charlotte effort was disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up. In the 14th minute, Ian Fray opened the scoring for Inter Miami following a corner kick taken by Messi; the right-back found the back of the net from inside the box to make it 1-0.
Luis Suárez extended the lead in the 33rd minute, finishing with his right foot from close range following another corner. Rodrigo De Paul added a third before halftime with a powerful strike from outside the box, assisted by Telasco Segovia. Messi also tried his luck from distance in the 27th minute, but the Charlotte goalkeeper made the save. Inter Miami went into the break leading 3-0.
Charlotte breathed new life into the match early in the second half, scoring in the 50th minute and again in the 55th to narrow the deficit from 3-0 to 3-2. After that second goal, the hosts were unable to regain control of the game.
The equalizer arrived in the 90th minute: Tyger Smalls struck the post, and Rodolfo Aloko pounced on the rebound to make it 3-3. Messi did not score, and in the 90+2 minute, he saw an effort hit the left post following an assist from Luis Suárez. Inter Miami’s opponent will be the Columbus Crew, who finished seventh in the Eastern Conference. The series will be a best-of-three, with home-field advantage going to the Florida side: they will host Columbus for the first match, play the second away, and—if a third game is required—return to their home stadium. The knockout phase is set to begin on November 20, 2026.
Inter Miami’s season began with Javier Mascherano as head coach; following his departure, Guillermo Hoyos took charge on an interim basis for 18 matches, after which Cristian “Kily” González assumed the role. Nashville, the leaders of the Eastern Conference, secured the MLS Supporters’ Shield with 77 points.
Messi concluded the regular season with 26 goals, ahead of Petar Musa’s 22. Musa still had a match to play—with Dallas against the Colorado Rapids—and needed to score five goals to overtake him. That remaining fixture kept the race for the Golden Boot wide open.
