VIP boxes at field level for half a million dollars: Inter Miami's new 'NBA-style' stadium to renew Leo Messi's contract

Leo Messi 's contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of 2025, and both parties are negotiating a renewal that appears to be on the right track. The footballer is happy in the city and the country, where he is one of the main advertising images, accumulating sponsors, and his medium-term football future also connects him with America, because the next World Cup will be here. By then, the team chaired by David Beckham plans to have Freedom Park , its new stadium, inaugurated. It won't be a FIFA venue, reserved for the Hard Rock Stadium, but with its 25,000 spectators, VIP boxes, and concert and event venues, they hope to convince Messi.

"It's one of the largest projects in all of Miami," Victor Oliver , the club's Vice President of Revenue and Operations, told EL MUNDO. This newspaper was able to visit the construction site and learn the ins and outs of a project that aims to make Inter Miami the best organization in the MLS and one of the leading soccer teams on the other side of the pond. Everything is connected between the ball and entertainment, something key in a multicultural and business-oriented city like Miami.

Freedom Park will be a soccer stadium, but also a concert venue, a giant shopping center with shops and restaurants, and adjacent to it will be one of the largest outdoor parks in the city.

Retractable bleacher

Located next to the airport, only one level has been built for security reasons, and it will have a roof covering virtually all of the stadium's seats. In addition, one of the stands will be retractable to facilitate concert preparation and hosting without damaging the turf.

And right next to the grass, one of the keys to the new project. Freedom Park will be one of the first soccer stadiums to have VIP boxes located on the sidelines, a decision that Inter Miami views as "NBA-style" and will bring the city's celebrities closer to the game, just like in the basketball league. The Florida team is clear that it wants to blend soccer and entertainment.

"At Chase Stadium, which has been our temporary stadium until the new one opens, LeBron James, Karol G, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, Bizarrap ... have all been on the pitch. The concept here is different. People want to be close, not just want to see the game properly like in Europe," says Oliver.

Sports culture in the United States is different. Baseball, NBA, and NFL games last longer than football games, and spectators aren't seated in their seats for every minute of the game. They socialize inside the stadium, drinking, eating, and socializing.

5,000 premium seats

At the new Freedom Park, Inter Miami will have different VIP boxes in different parts of the stadium, totaling 5,000 premium seats, the most in-demand so far. And the seats on the grass have sold out. They have 18, and 17 of them have already been sold, leaving one for the club and its owners' commitments. This creates an atmosphere similar to that achieved by the Lakers in their arena, turning attending their games into a VIP experience surrounded by celebrities.

The economic return, moreover, is estimated to be enormous. Each box located on the pitch, a VIP suite for several people, has sold for between $380,000 and $500,000 for the first season alone , in which they hope to feature Messi. $8.5 million for those boxes alone, which will increase the organization's profits by 40%. The Lakers , for example, have suites that reach $5 million a year.

Real Madrid and Barça , for their part, have seats and VIP areas in their stadiums, but not on the pitch. A "super VIP" seat at the Bernabéu costs 250,000 euros... but for 30 years, plus an additional 21,000 euros per year. A few months ago, Real Madrid sold 300 VIP seats for 30 years and earned 70 million, while Barcelona sold 475 for 30 years for 100 million. The future may be closer to the pitch.