WASHINGTON — With Lionel Messi’s contract extension with Inter Miami cementing his Major League Soccer future, teams around the league are continuing to look to profit from his visits. Though MLS is still weeks from announcing the 2026 schedule, D.C. United has been exploring the possibility of staging its home match against Miami at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, Yahoo Sports has learned.
United’s Audi Field holds 20,000, the Ravens’ home about 71,000. United’s motivation, multiple sources said, is ticket revenue from Messi’s visit and making inroads in Maryland’s biggest city, which sits 35 miles northeast of Washington.
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Baltimore also happens to be United’s first choice to build a small stadium for its third-division developmental squad.
One source said United is leaving its venue options open for the high-profile Miami match and could opt to keep it at Audi Field.
United officials said they didn’t want to comment. Maryland Sports Commission, which brings events to the state, referred questions to the Ravens organization, which didn’t immediately respond for comment.
By playing in Baltimore, United would bypass Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, which sits 11 miles east of Audi Field. The Washington Commanders’ facility, however, has been criticized for years for its upkeep and parking. The NFL organization is poised to build a venue by 2030 on the site of RFK Stadium in Washington.
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A D.C.-Miami match would be a boon for Baltimore, which does not have a team in top-flight MLS or the United Soccer League’s second and third divisions. M&T Bank Stadium has hosted several club friendlies and CONCACAF Gold Cup matches.
United wouldn’t be the first MLS team to move a home match against Miami to a larger venue outside its market. This season the Columbus Crew hosted Miami at Huntington Bank Field, the Cleveland Browns’ lair 146 miles north. The crowd was 60,614 — about three times the capacity of the Crew’s Lower.com Field. (The Crew and Browns are owned by the Haslam family.)
In 2024, Miami’s away match against Sporting Kansas City was moved to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, from Children’s Mercy Park (18,491) in Kansas City, Kansas. The game drew 72,610.
There is always a risk, though, Messi will sit out because of injury or the need to rest amid heavy demands for Miami and the Argentine national team. Last year, the Chicago Fire’s promotion of Messi’s scheduled visit to Soldier Field came with a promise; if he didn’t play, the Fire would compensate ticket buyers with discounts to future games. (He didn’t play.)
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By moving matches to larger stadiums, teams also risk ceding home-field advantage because many ticket buyers are there to cheer Messi and, by extension, Miami.
Messi’s six visits this year to large-scale stadiums (five used regularly by MLS teams, plus the Cleveland game) attracted an average of 47,583. The league average was 21,754.
United — whose six-year playoff absence is MLS’ longest — saw a 9.6% decline in home attendance, to 16,389 over 17 dates.
Should United finalize the Baltimore plan, Messi would continue his absence from the nation’s capital. His 2023 MLS debut came shortly after Miami’s visit to Washington and, in 2024 and ‘25, he was injured.
