Sporting Kansas City’s match vs. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami postponed due to weather
Fans looking to get a glimpse of Lionel Messi in Kansas City again will have to wait one day longer.
Concacaf announced that Tuesday’s Sporting KC-Inter Miami matchup will now be moved to Wednesday to avoid the snow forecast for the Kansas City area. The area has been placed under a Winter Storm Warning through 3 a.m. on Thursday.
The game will take place at 7 p.m. Central on Feb. 19. “All previously purchased tickets for the match,” Concacaf said, “... will remain valid for entry on Wednesday.”
In a statement, Concacaf said the decision to reschedule the match was made “to prioritize player and fan safety” and made “in close coordination with the two participating clubs and local authorities.”
The game is part of the Concacaf Champions Cup and will be played at Children’s Mercy Park.
With a forecast of single-digit temperatures and wind chills into the negatives, along with three to five inches of snow (or more), some speculated whether Messi would even try to suit up for Miami or skip the match entirely.
But Miami’s manager, Javier Mascherano, stated Messi will play despite the frigid temperatures.
“Messi is 100% available,” Mascherano said. “I can assure that he will play.”
It will just be on Wednesday now.
Weather aside, Sporting knows it faces a large task ahead.
“(Messi) has played so many games, and so many teams (and) coaching staffs have come up with strategies to try and stop him,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “… Nobody can stop him.”
Vermes added: “We still have to defend, have to find our opportunities to attack, and you’ve gotta be very well concentrated on set pieces, especially if he’s the one who is taking them.”
The Miami Herald reported discussions were ongoing about moving the game to Wednesday to avoid dealing with the snow. Inter Miami was not scheduled to arrive in Kansas City until later Monday night.
The snow is one thing. The temperatures are another.
In 2021, a World Cup Qualifier was played at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a kickoff temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit and a reported “real-feel” temperature of minus-14. Wednesday’s game could be in that range at kickoff.
Sporting’s undersoil heating system at Children’s Mercy Park will make the pitch playable. It’ll be up to fans and players to keep themselves warm.
Sporting has said fans can bring cardboard to stand on to provide a barrier between their feet and the cold cement. There will be additional heaters placed around the concourse for fans as well.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM.