Inter Miami's China tour called off

UPDATE (Nov. 1) – Inter Miami CF will no longer contest friendlies in China later this month. The following is a statement from the club:

The tour promoter, NSN, has informed Inter Miami CF of the cancellation of its China Tour due to unforeseen circumstances in China. Inter Miami’s ambition remains to expand its global reach by playing in front of incredible fans from across the globe; the club will continue to explore future opportunities with NSN to achieve this goal.

ORIGINAL (Oct. 15) – Inter Miami CF are going international.

The Herons will visit China this November for friendly matches against two Chinese Super League teams. Broadcast details and ticket information will be available in the coming weeks.

• Nov. 5 vs. Qingdao Hainiu FC | Qingdao Youth Football Stadium (Qingdao, China)
• Nov. 8 vs. Chengdu Rongcheng | Phoenix Hill Sports Park (Chengdu, China)

Inter Miami play their last match of the 2023 MLS campaign on Oct. 21 when visiting Charlotte FC. They cannot qualify for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, opening up their schedule as 18 other clubs compete to lift MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 9.

“We’re very excited to continue to expand our club’s global reach, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans across the globe,” said Xavier Asensi, Inter Miami’s chief business officer.

“This is a special opportunity to share the passion as we reach new audiences and put ourselves on display in new places, and we’re looking forward to beginning this adventure.”

Inter Miami will visit China after a summer transfer window highlighted by signing Lionel Messi in mid-July. Ex-FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also joined the legendary Argentine No. 10 to play under manager Tata Martino – as did U22 Initiative players Facundo Farías, Diego Gómez and Tomás Avilés.

Inter Miami, fueled by their midseason additions, beat Nashville SC for the Leagues Cup 2023 title in mid-August and booked their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup spot. They fell in the US Open Cup Final to Houston Dynamo FC in late September.

“This will be a great opportunity to continue building on our 2023 campaign, in which we achieved our first-ever trophy,” said Chris Henderson, Inter Miami’s sporting director and chief soccer officer.

“We will take this as an opportunity to begin our preparations for 2024, as we look to build on last season and find more success moving forward.”