Messi receives great news ahead of the MLS Cup final

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are set to have a clear edge against Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2025 MLS Cup final.

In the 2025 MLS Cup final, Inter Miami holds some advantage over Vancouver Whitecaps. The reason is that Lionel Messi and his teammates will play at their home ground, Chase Stadium, despite being the lower seed in the playoff bracket.

Specifically, Vancouver is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, while Inter Miami is the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, but coach Javier Mascherano’s team earned the right to host the final due to having a higher total point tally in the season-long Supporters’ Shield standings. Conference seedings only determine home advantage up to the MLS Cup final.

Inter Miami finished the season with 65 points from 34 matches, ranking just behind Philadelphia Union, the Supporters’ Shield winner, and FC Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Vancouver scored 63 points, setting a club record and tying San Diego FC for first in the Western Conference, but lost out on home advantage due to fewer wins, so they must play the final away.

During this season, Miami and Vancouver have not faced each other in MLS play but met in the two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, where Vancouver won 2-0 and 3-1.

The MLS Cup final will be decided in a single match. If tied after 90 minutes, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played, and if still drawn, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.

Since the inception of the MLS Cup in 1996, the final has always been a single match, but the method of selecting the home team has changed. From the first season until 2012, it was held at a neutral venue. Since then, the team with the higher Supporters’ Shield points total has earned home-field advantage.

Historically in MLS, the home team has won 12 out of 16 finals, boosting Inter Miami’s chances. Should Vancouver win, they would become the fourth club in MLS history to claim both the U.S. Open Cup or Canadian Championship and the MLS Cup in the same season.

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