For the second year in a row, fans in Chicago could miss out on seeing Lionel Messi. And for the second year in a row, the Chicago Fire are set to offer them something for their trouble.
Inter Miami announced this week that Messi is out indefinitely with an ankle ligament injury he suffered during the Copa América final against Colombia on Sunday.
Inter Miami’s visit to Soldier Field is set for August 31, giving the Argentine star around six weeks to recover in time to face the Fire.
Though the game is still off in the distance, the Fire announced on Friday that they are taking preventative steps to mitigate the damage from a Messi-less match.
If Messi is unavailable, the Fire will offer all single-match buyers $250 off two or more new 2025 season ticket memberships, or $100 off two or more single-match tickets for the game against Inter Miami.
For fans who already had tickets to the game, the Fire will offer the opportunity to claim two free tickets to an October 19 match against Nashville SC.
“As the club looks forward to filling Soldier Field with fans to cheer on the hometown Chicago Fire, it does recognize that a player of Inter Miami star forward Lionel Messi’s caliber always helps to draw a larger crowd and attract new fans to the beautiful game,” the Fire said in a statement.
Deja vu for Fire fans?
The Fire are getting used to dealing with this very situation, having seen Messi miss Inter Miami’s October 2023 match at Soldier Field with an injury.
The club took similar measures in that case, offering a $250 credit toward new season ticket memberships, or a $50 account credit for anyone unable to use the new member credit.