Welcome to South Florida, home of the three-time NBA champions Miami Heat, two-time NFL Super Bowl champions Miami Dolphins, two-time MLB World Series champions Miami Marlins, and two-time NHL Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers.
Oh, and the reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami. That means this summer’s World Cup is coming to Lionel Messi's adopted neighbourhood.
Messi and the Argentina national team are not scheduled to play any of their group-stage matches in Miami Gardens. However, if the defending champions win Group J, as many will likely expect, they would play the runner-up from Group H in a Round of 32 game on 3 July at Hard Rock Stadium.
The only other possible pathway for Messi to play in South Florida during the World Cup is if Argentina lose a semi-final and end up in the third-place match.
Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, however, are certain to have at least one match in Miami. Among the teams guaranteed to play in South Florida at some point in this World Cup include Scotland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cabo Verde, Colombia and Portugal.
