Inter Miami CF is back in MLS regular-season action on Wednesday night, and the return comes with a complication: Leo Messi and Rodrigo De Paul will not be available when Chicago Fire FC visits Nu Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match is the latest step in a tight Eastern Conference race, with Inter Miami holding 31 points and Chicago Fire FC on 26.
For readers looking up Chicago Vs Inter Miami today, the timing is the point. Inter Miami CF has spent the break sitting second in the Eastern Conference after a 9W-2L-4D start, while Chicago Fire FC is third at 8W-4L-2D and arrives five points back. The home side also comes in having won four straight MLS regular-season games before the pause for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Messi remains the central figure in the matchup even while he sits out. He leads Inter Miami CF with 12 goals and is tied for second in the Golden Boot race, while he and Telasco Segovia share the team lead with eight assists. That production helped drive a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Union on May 24, when Luis Suárez scored three times, Germán Berterame added two goals and Rodrigo De Paul also scored.
The absence, though, changes the shape of the night. Messi and De Paul began a scheduled rest period after their participation with the Argentina national team in the FIFA World Cup final, and they will be unavailable for this match and until their return in the coming weeks. Inter Miami CF now has to protect its position without the player who has defined much of its attack, and without the midfield link that helped steady it before the break.
There is also a first in the schedule. Wednesday’s meeting will be the 11th between the clubs, but Chicago Fire FC will be visiting Nu Stadium for the first time. Fans can tune in live on Apple TV, and parking on site is limited, with single-match passes available only in the Yellow Lot while the Audi Black Lot and Red Lot are sold out. The lots open at 4 p.m. ET.
What follows is a test of depth as much as form. Inter Miami CF still has the points edge, the home field and the more dangerous season-long numbers, but Chicago Fire FC has stayed close enough to make the night matter in the standings before kickoff even begins.
