today 20:15
Lionel Messi isn’t the only soccer powerhouse heading to Miami. FIFA, the world soccer governing body, is negotiating the lease of up to 5,500 square meters in the exclusive Coral Gables, city of Miami-Dade Countyaccording to a person with knowledge of the plans.
The Zurich-based organization, one of the world’s most powerful sports bodies, is strengthening its presence ahead of the 2026 World Cup, when Miami and 15 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada will host matches. After the tournament, Miami will likely become his long-term US base, bringing him closer to sponsors and a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, is expected to relocate to Miami on the eve of the eventjust as it did in Doha before Qatar, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
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Infantino, who was re-elected FIFA president unopposed in March, helped boost the body’s revenue to $7.5 billion in the last World Cup cycle. FIFA plans to generate $11 billion over the 2023-26 period by expanding the World Cup to a 48-team format.
A FIFA spokesman declined to comment.
FIFA’s arrival in Florida is likely to coincide with one of the biggest names in soccer.
Messi, who inspired Argentina’s World Cup success last year and has enjoyed a brilliant career with clubs like Barcelona, is about to sign a contract with Inter Miami of the major league soccer.
Reports of Messi’s impending transfer, aided by a multi-million dollar proposal involving Apple Inc. and Adidas AG, have already sent ticket prices skyrocketing and are expected to transform the profile of the sport in the city and In U.S.A.
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Miami has long been a refuge from the region’s political turmoil, with Hispanics and Latinos making up about 70% of the population. Miami-Dade County. But Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham, has struggled to draw large crowds and currently sit bottom of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.
The club has no stars and plays in the tiny DRV PNK stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Florida, however, is a sports mecca for teams and owners., with two major league baseball franchises, three NFL teams, two NBA teams, and two NHL hockey teams, second only to California. And a group led by Beckham plans to build a 25,000-seat stadium for Inter Miami on the site of a municipal golf course.
It is not the first time that Miami and FIFA have crossed paths. Concacaf, the regional federation that manages soccer throughout the Americas, is based in the city and was embroiled in the corruption scandal that engulfed the organization some eight years ago.
The case uncovered numerous allegations of fraud, which led to the removal of Sepp Blatter as president after 17 years in office. In the aftermath of the scandal, FIFA introduced a series of reform measures, including bringing in more external managers, and Infantino has pledged to increase transparency.
