Teams, tales and tips – a football fan's guide to Miami
Soccer in Miami has been transformed by the two most successful players of the modern era: David Beckham whose deal with LA Galaxy in 2007 included a clause in his contract to buy an MLS franchise; and Lionel Messi, whose stratospheric skills had an immediate effect on this franchise, Inter Miami, upon his arrival in July 2023.
This has resulted in a first MLS Cup win for the team in pink in December 2025, and the grand opening of soccer-specific Nu Stadium by Miami International Airport on April 4, 2026. The final was also a parting farewell to Fort Lauderdale, where the Inter project had been parked from its underwhelming kick-off during the pandemic summer of 2020.
Miami was among the two-dozen potential venue cities bidding to host the 2026 World Cup, confirmed in 2022. Home of NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens has been adapted to stage six games involving Scotland, Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal and probably Argentina, not to mention the match for bronze between the last two of the final four.
A sport-obsessed metropolis with a 70% Hispanic/Latino population, Miami has hosted an equal record number of Super Bowls, celebrated three NBA Championship wins and regularly staged showcase soccer fixtures attracting crowds of 50,000-plus. What it lacked was a soccer team that locals could identify with and follow. And for that, it needed a stadium in town – one caveat to the Beckham deal, the other being to site his team anywhere but New York.
Beckham had been offered his franchise for $25 million – the going rate back in 2007 when MLS was wobbling, not even a tenth of what anyone would pay now. By the time he retired in 2013, MLS was enjoying the benefits of the Beckham effect, doubling in size and attracting better attendances across the league. Towards the end of his time at LA Galaxy, a showcase fixture between Barcelona and Mexican giants Guadalajara had brought a crowd of 70,000-plus to the Hard Rock Stadium, the first of a string of summer friendlies played in a near packed arena.
Finding a location for a soccer-specific one, however, proved onerous. Overlooked for the 1994 World Cup as the venerable Orange Bowl was not adaptable for FIFA regulations – which is how Jack Charlton’s Ireland came to sizzle in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl – Miami wasn’t exactly brimming with affordable real estate. When Beckham announced his intention to set up an MLS expansion team in Miami in 2014, he had been eyeing up a site in PortMiami, alongside the home of popular NBA side Miami Heat.
Once Miami-Dade County rejected that bid, and with three other locations stymied, local engineering and construction billionaires the Mas brothers, Jorge and Jose, joined the Beckham operation. The plot they found was on the grounds of the city-owned Melreese Country Club beside Miami International Airport.
After tortuous negotiations over a profitable municipal golf course and the promise to fund public parks for the next 30 years, the Mas brothers and Beckham had their site, known as Freedom Park. In January 2018, MLS announced its 25th franchise, due to launch in 2020: Inter Miami.
Home in the meantime would be the former Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, rebuilt and rebranded as the Inter Miami Stadium, of 21,500 capacity. The architect would be the man behind short-lived Miami Fusion’s quickly rebuilt Lockhart Stadium back in the late 1990s.
n a further connection with Miami’s last MLS franchise, former Fusion player Chris Henderson was named Inter’s Sporting Director and, fittingly, having become the voice of soccer for many Americans, ex-Fusion manager Ray Hudson as colour commentator. Having fetched up in Fort Lauderdale from his native Newcastle in 1977, the exuberant Geordie had come full circle 40 years on.
The branding team came up with a badge that nods towards Miami’s Art Deco heritage, herons also providing a nickname. Between the birds, seven sun rays align with the shirt number most associated with Beckham, although what his former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, would make of pink as the club’s signature colour has not been investigated.
While MLS has been parked for the duration of the World Cup, Miami pink made a surprise appearance for the first game here, Uruguay-Saudi Arabia, when the match officials strode out as pretty as flamingos.
Until July 5, Miami’s Fan Fest unfolds at Bayfront Park, overlooking the waters of Biscayne Bay.
Getting here
Arriving in town and city transport
Miami International Airport is eight miles (13km) north-west of Downtown Miami. On Level 3, the free MIA Mover runs every 5-15mins to Miami Intermodal Center 3-4mins away, with Nu Stadium alongside, separated from the airport by State Road (LeJeune) 953. A designated walking route from Miami Intermodal Center takes 10-12mins to Freedom Park and Nu Stadium.
Miami Intermodal Center is where the Orange Line of Miami’s Metrorail (every 15-30mins, 5am-midnight) sets off for Government Center in Downtown Miami. where MiamiCentral serves Brightline trains within Florida (including Fort Lauderdale and Orlando) and Tri-Rail commuter rail, which also links direct to the airport.
EASY Cards ($2) for Metrorail, Tri-Rail and the Metrobus network are available from kiosks and vending machines at the airport, stops and stations (tap in and tap off if transferring to/from Tri-Rail). You can also download the GO Miami-Dade Transit App or SoFloGo App for Apple and Android.
A one-way journey on Metrorail & Metrobus is $2.25, Tri-Rail $2.50 (Sat-Sun & hol $5, weekend day pass $5). Note that Metrorail and Tri-Rail schedules refer to Miami Intermodal Center as ‘Miami (International) Airport’.
Also from Government Center, a free Metromover service connects to stops around the city center every 3-5mins, including Brickell, while the city’s trolley network is also free, including the four routes (8am-11pm) serving Miami Beach.
The Hard Rock Stadium is in Miami Gardens, 12.5 miles (20km) north of Miami International Airport. The nearest public transportation is Tri-Rail to Golden Glades 25mins away – a 10min taxi hop to the stadium.
If you’re coming from Downtown Miami, the stadium recommends booking an Uber Shuttle from specific pick-up points in Miami Beach and Brickell, with fixed fares. Taxis will drop off on 199th Street, where they await passengers after the game. Note that Rideshare services are subject to surge pricing, and drop-offs are in Lot 44 Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, a 30min walk to the stadium.
Parking spots for the World Cup and other major fixtures can be found here.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Prime spot for soccer watching in town is Grails in the arty entertainment neighbourhood of Wynwood, imaginatively theming its own décor around one-of-a-kind sneakers. TVs abound, also on the large patio named, because somebody had to, Miami Vice. To go the whole nine yards, order your cocktail in a take-home sneaker.
On a match day – it’s 11am opening at weekends – you might get the ball rolling with a Messi Mule based on Hendrick’s gin and Campari. La Rubia and Modelo Especial stand out among the draft beer options, slow-braised pork-belly tacos and slow-cooked ribs the best of the superior bar food.
Nearby, La Cervecería Tropical celebrated its fifth anniversary in April 2026 but dates way back to 1888, when the Blanco-Herrera family set up Cuba’s first brewery. Also distributing around Florida, it was shut down twice, once by Castro and then, through strong competition, by US brewing giant Anheuser Busch.
Descendants of those who initiated La Tropical on Cuba then revived the beer and the brand in Miami, building this colorful tap room and bar, with a tropical garden alongside. Beers include the celebratory Inter Miami 2024-25, food chicharrón pork belly, empanadas of ropa vieja stewed beef, and frita cubana burgers. Closed Mondays.
More boutique in style, brewpub Casa La Rubia serves its signature blonde ale, sold across Miami, right from the source. Salsa nights and fútbol watch parties characterize the Latin-inspired former home of Veza Sur.
Downtown, Black Market Miami embraces 1980s’ Miami in upscale sports-bar form, 30 or so 4K TVs screening the action amid the bare brick and archive photos. Look out for game day specials and happy hour weekdays, including Fridays, 4pm-7pm.
Close by, Lost Boy Dry Goods feels more old-school, half-priced beer and cocktails (same happy hour) tempting customers away from the surrounding competition. Pool tables, dartboards and a row of TV screens over the bar keep customers entertained.
Handily located beside Government Center Station, Auld Dubliner gets pretty lively post-work and for big games – it opens early at weekends for that very reason. There’s pool, too, and pub classics on the menu, shepherd’s pie, and bangers and mash.
Just south of Downtown, you’ll find plenty of sports-friendly bars in the financial district of Brickell. Matt Kuscher’s Kush, the Brickell branch of this Wynwood favorite, divides its draft options between local (Kaptain Kush, Dr Dank), craft (La Playita, La Rubia) and ‘sh*tty’ (all the rest), while mixing specialty drinks such as a Dan F*cking Marino of cantaloupe-infused Vida Puebla mezcal, Campari and Aperol. TV sports, industrial lighting and plentiful neon do the rest.
Opening mid-morning with an all-day menu (don’t miss the Coronita fish & chips), American Social offers waterfront views to accompany its extensive offering of cocktails and draft beers, Samuel Adams producing the house lager. When two old friends conceived of this top-quality concept, sports was essential to the equation – and buckets of beer to go with it. All in all, a classier experience.
305 Sports Bar plays up its Miami credentials in its area-code name, offering US, Mexican and European beers in equal measure. You’ll find Mahou, Modelo, La Rubia and La Tropical on draft, with happy-hour deals Mon-Fri 4pm-9pm and buckets served for watching the match. Valet parking ($10) and terrace drinking complete the picture.
Over on South Beach, Finnegan’s Way opens up fairly early each day to screen sports and serve breakfasts (until 1pm – full Irish under $15 until noon) on Ocean Drive. Drinks half-price during happy hour, Mon-Fri 4pm-7pm.
Just behind, Liverpool hangout Mickey Burkes on Washington Avenue is similar in character, opening at 9am at weekends, TVs galore over a big old bar counter just begging to be propped up.
