The search term “inter miami – cruz azul” has exploded on Google Trends over the past few hours, and for good reason. Inter Miami hosted Cruz Azul in the 2026 Campeones Cup final on Wednesday night, and the game delivered exactly the kind of storybook moment that sends millions of fans straight to Google: Lionel Messi scored the 100th goal of his Inter Miami career to open the scoring, Casemiro added a second, and the Herons lifted their first-ever Campeones Cup trophy in front of a rain-soaked, near-capacity crowd at Nu Stadium.

If you’re searching “inter miami vs cruz azul,” “cruz azul vs inter miami,” or just trying to catch up on what happened, this guide has the complete picture, the final score, the goals, the milestones, the history behind the trophy, and what it all means going forward.

Quick Summary (Read This First)

• Final score: Inter Miami 2, Cruz Azul 0.
• Where and when: Nu Stadium (Miami Freedom Park), Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
• Goal 1 (24th minute): Lionel Messi headed in a cross from Luis Suarez, his 100th goal for Inter Miami across all competitions.
• Goal 2 (81st minute): Casemiro headed home a Messi corner to seal the win.
• The milestone: Messi’s first-ever Inter Miami goal, back in his July 2023 debut, also came against Cruz Azul.
• The trophy: Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup title, and the first trophy won at Nu Stadium since it opened in April 2026.
• The coach: New Inter Miami head coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez won a trophy in his very first match in charge.
• The history: Every previous Campeones Cup had been won by a Liga MX club since the competition began in 2018, until now.

Now let’s break down exactly how it happened.

Match Recap: How Inter Miami Beat Cruz Azul 2-0

Rain fell steadily over Nu Stadium as Inter Miami and Cruz Azul, known to their fans as La Maquina, met in a one-off final to decide the 2026 Campeones Cup. The match pitted the reigning MLS Cup champions against the reigning Liga MX Campeon de Campeones, and it lived up to the occasion from the opening whistle.

Inter Miami controlled large stretches of the contest, though Cruz Azul had their moments too, with a powerful long-range effort forcing Miami goalkeeper St. Clair into an airborne save that led to a corner, and Cruz Azul’s Palavecino threading a brilliant solo run past two defenders before being denied. Overall, though, Miami’s quality in the final third proved decisive.

The breakthrough came in the 24th minute. Luis Suarez, Messi’s longtime international teammate and Inter Miami strike partner, whipped in a pinpoint cross from the flank, and Messi rose to meet it with a header, sending the ball past the Cruz Azul goalkeeper to open the scoring. It was a rare headed finish from a player far better known for his left foot, and it landed at the perfect moment in club history.

Cruz Azul pushed for an equalizer for the rest of the first half and into the second, growing into the game as Miami’s Facundo Mora had to be withdrawn injured in the 75th minute, with Gonzalo Lujan coming on to help see out the match at the back. But rather than folding under the pressure, Inter Miami struck again. In the 81st minute, Messi swung in a corner kick, and Casemiro, the Brazilian midfielder brought in to add steel and aerial power to Miami’s midfield, rose unmarked to head home the second goal, sealing a 2-0 victory and setting off wild celebrations among the traveling and home supporters alike.

The result meant Inter Miami recorded their first clean sheet in 12 matches, a timely bit of defensive solidity to go with the attacking fireworks up front.

Messi’s 100th Goal: Why This Milestone Is So Special

Lionel Messi’s opening goal wasn’t just the game-winner in the moment, it was a full-circle milestone that made the story instantly shareable across social media and search. Messi’s first-ever goal for Inter Miami came in his debut in July 2023: a stoppage-time free kick from roughly 25 yards that beat Cruz Azul 2-1 in the Leagues Cup and instantly became one of the most replayed moments in MLS history. Just over three years later, his 100th Inter Miami goal came against that exact same opponent, this time a header rather than a free kick, but every bit as decisive.

Messi reached the century mark in 115 appearances across all competitions for Inter Miami, an extraordinary scoring rate for a player who turned 39 earlier this year and had already redefined what was thought possible in a football career before he ever arrived in Major League Soccer.

Breaking down exactly how Messi reached 100 goals for the club, as tracked by CBS Sports, paints a picture of his enduring versatility in front of goal:

• 69 goals with his left foot.
• 9 goals with his right foot.
• 10 goals from free kicks.
• 6 goals from headers, including the 100th itself.
• 5 goals from penalty kicks.
• 1 goal with his chest.

That a header, statistically his rarest method of scoring, delivered such a landmark goal only added to the sense that the moment was almost scripted.

What Is the Campeones Cup, and Why Does This Win Matter So Much?

The Campeones Cup is an annual one-off match that pits the reigning MLS Cup champion against the reigning champion of Liga MX’s Campeon de Campeones, essentially a season-opening or season-capping showcase between the best club from each of North America’s two biggest professional leagues. The competition began in 2018, when Tigres UANL defeated Toronto FC 3-1 in the inaugural final.

Since that first edition, Liga MX clubs had won every single Campeones Cup final, building a run of dominance that made the trophy something of a sore spot for MLS sides. Inter Miami qualified for this year’s final automatically as the defending 2025 MLS Cup champion, while Cruz Azul earned its spot by winning the Liga MX Clausura 2026 title and then beating Toluca, the Apertura 2025 champion, in a playoff to determine Mexico’s Campeon de Campeones.

By beating Cruz Azul, Inter Miami became the first MLS club ever to win the Campeones Cup, snapping the tournament’s long run of Liga MX dominance and, according to some tallies of the historic series between the two leagues, leveling the head-to-head record between MLS and Liga MX sides in this competition. For a club that only joined MLS as an expansion side in 2020, lifting a trophy that had eluded every other American club for seven straight years is a significant landmark in its own right, even before factoring in Messi’s personal milestone.

A Winning Debut for New Head Coach Kily Gonzalez

The Campeones Cup final marked the first match in charge for Inter Miami’s new head coach, Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez, and it could not have gone better. Taking over a club built around some of the most decorated players in the sport, Gonzalez guided his new team to a trophy in his very first outing on the touchline, an ideal start to what will be closely watched tenure given the expectations that come with coaching a roster featuring Messi, Suarez, Busquets-era veterans, and Casemiro.

The win also christened Nu Stadium, officially known as Miami Freedom Park, with its first piece of silverware since the venue opened in April 2026. For a club still building its permanent home and its trophy case at the same time, winning a first major trophy in that stadium adds another meaningful chapter to Inter Miami’s rapid rise since Messi’s arrival in 2023.

Casemiro’s Growing Impact at Inter Miami

While Messi understandably drew most of the headlines, Casemiro’s second goal was just as important to the final result, and it continued a hot scoring streak for the Brazilian midfielder. The goal against Cruz Azul was Casemiro’s fourth in his last five matches for the club, and notably, all four of those recent goals have come via headers, an unusual and increasingly reliable source of goals for a player signed primarily for his defensive and midfield qualities. Before the Cruz Azul header, Casemiro had scored in three consecutive matches against CF Montreal, Atlanta United, and Chicago, before being held scoreless in a prior match against Nashville.

That kind of secondary scoring threat from midfield gives Inter Miami another dimension beyond its star-studded front line, and it was on full display in exactly the moment the team needed it, breaking Cruz Azul’s late-game momentum and putting the result beyond doubt.

The Messi-Cruz Azul Connection: A Rivalry Written in Milestones

Long before this Campeones Cup final, Cruz Azul had already carved out a strange, recurring role in Inter Miami’s history books. Messi’s debut for the club came against Cruz Azul in the group stage of the 2023 Leagues Cup, a match Inter Miami trailed for most of the night before Messi produced a stoppage-time free kick that instantly became one of the most replayed sports clips of the year. That 2-1 win kicked off a run that saw a struggling, last-place Inter Miami side transform almost overnight into Leagues Cup champions within weeks of Messi’s arrival.

Three years later, Cruz Azul once again found itself on the wrong side of a Messi milestone, this time as the opponent for his landmark 100th club goal. Two moments, three years apart, both against the same Mexican giant, both instantly iconic in their own right. For a club with as short a history as Inter Miami’s, having so much of its early folklore tied to matches against one recurring opponent gives this specific fixture an unusually rich storyline for a relatively new rivalry.

Messi’s Year: From a World Cup Final to Another Club Trophy

This Campeones Cup triumph caps an enormous year for Messi on multiple fronts. Earlier in 2026, he was a central figure for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, helping the Albiceleste reach the final before the team ultimately fell short. Returning to club football after that deep international run, Messi wasted little time adding to his trophy collection with Inter Miami, closing out the year with another piece of silverware and another individual milestone.

It has not been an entirely trophy-laden year for Inter Miami as a club, however. The team suffered an early exit from the Concacaf Champions Cup back in March, eliminated by Nashville on away goals, and also fell early from the 2026 Leagues Cup. Against that backdrop, the Campeones Cup title takes on extra importance, giving Inter Miami a marquee trophy to show for a season that had, until Wednesday night, been defined as much by disappointment in continental and cup competitions as by success.

Cruz Azul’s Side of the Story

It would be easy to view this match purely through an Inter Miami and Messi lens, but Cruz Azul’s run to the final was a genuine achievement in its own right. La Maquina won the Liga MX Clausura 2026 title, then beat Apertura 2025 champion Toluca 3-1 in the playoff that determines Mexico’s overall Campeon de Campeones and, with it, the country’s representative in the Campeones Cup. Standout performers in that playoff win, including midfielders Jose Paradela and Carlos Rodriguez, helped power Cruz Azul past a strong Toluca side before the club traveled to Miami for the final.

Cruz Azul also traveled to Miami with heavy away support, with reports describing a near-capacity crowd at Nu Stadium that was noticeably stacked with traveling Cruz Azul fans, underscoring the club’s massive, passionate fanbase and the growing cross-border appeal of these MLS-Liga MX showcase matches. Losing the final will be a disappointment, especially given the club’s chance to keep alive Liga MX’s unbeaten run in the competition, but reaching the final at all, and doing so with a comeback playoff win over Toluca, is still a notable achievement for a club that entered the match without a key contributor, Ian Fray, already sidelined, and then lost another, Facundo Mora, to injury during the final itself.

By the Numbers: Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul

Stat	Detail
Final score	Inter Miami 2, Cruz Azul 0
Venue	Nu Stadium (Miami Freedom Park)
Date	Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Possession	Roughly 48% Inter Miami, 52% Cruz Azul (per live match reporting)
Goal scorers	Messi (24′), Casemiro (81′)
Player of the match	Lionel Messi
Inter Miami head coach	Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez (first match in charge)
Messi’s Inter Miami goal tally	100 goals in 115 appearances (all competitions)

Taken together, these numbers tell the story of a tightly contested match that Inter Miami’s quality in key moments, a Messi header, a Suarez assist, a Casemiro set-piece finish, ultimately decided in its favor.

About Nu Stadium: Inter Miami’s New Home

For readers less familiar with Inter Miami’s recent history, Nu Stadium, officially Miami Freedom Park, is the club’s purpose-built home venue, which opened in April 2026 after years of development. Before moving into this permanent facility, Inter Miami played its home matches at Chase Stadium (previously known as DRV PNK Stadium) in Fort Lauderdale, including the club’s 2025 MLS Cup triumph. The Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul marks the first major trophy won on the new ground, giving Nu Stadium its own moment in Inter Miami’s growing highlight reel and adding another layer of significance to Wednesday’s result for a fanbase that has watched the club grow from a struggling expansion side into a genuine trophy contender in just a few short years.

How the Match Unfolded: A Closer Look at the Key Moments

Live coverage of the match painted a picture of a cagey opening period, with both sides testing each other before Inter Miami’s class in the final third broke the deadlock. In the buildup to the opening goal, Messi had already shown flashes of his influence, at one stage carrying the ball from midfield deep into Cruz Azul territory before setting up Luis Suarez, whose effort narrowly missed the target. That near-miss set the stage for the eventual breakthrough moments later, when the same two players combined again, this time successfully, for Messi’s headed opener.

Cruz Azul responded well after going behind, working several promising positions in Miami’s half, including the long-range strike that forced a diving save from St. Clair in Miami’s goal. But as the match wore on into the rain-soaked second half, Inter Miami’s control of possession and set-piece quality proved decisive. When the second goal arrived in the 81st minute, it came from exactly the kind of dead-ball situation that has become a growing strength for this Inter Miami side, with Messi’s delivery and Casemiro’s movement and heading ability combining for the second time in recent weeks to produce a crucial goal.

By full time, Inter Miami had done enough to see out a professional, disciplined performance that, while not without some late Cruz Azul pressure, never seriously looked like slipping away from the home side.

Where to Watch the Highlights

Highlights of Messi’s 100th goal and Casemiro’s clinching header have circulated widely across official Major League Soccer channels and major sports outlets since the final whistle. For fans who missed the live broadcast, official MLS social media accounts and major sports networks that covered the match are the most reliable places to find verified match footage and post-game reaction, rather than unofficial clips that may be edited or miss important context.

Injury Watch: Facundo Mora and Ian Fray

One subplot worth monitoring beyond the celebrations is the fitness of Facundo Mora, who was forced off in the 75th minute and replaced by Gonzalo Lujan as Inter Miami managed the closing stages without one of its regular defensive options. Cruz Azul, for its part, was already missing Ian Fray heading into the match. Neither absence proved costly on the night, but both are worth watching in the coming days as each club assesses the fallout from a physically demanding final played in heavy rain, with Inter Miami now shifting its attention back to a compressed MLS regular-season and playoff schedule where squad depth will matter as much as star power.

What This Result Means for MLS and Liga MX

Beyond the individual storylines, this result carries real weight for the ongoing conversation about the competitive gap, or lack thereof, between MLS and Liga MX. For years, the Campeones Cup had served as a symbol of Liga MX’s edge over its northern neighbor, with Mexican clubs winning every single final since the competition’s 2018 launch. Inter Miami snapping that streak, even with a roster built around one of the greatest players ever to play the sport, gives MLS supporters a genuine data point to push back on the narrative of Liga MX superiority, at least in this particular head-to-head competition.

Whether this proves to be a one-off, driven heavily by Messi’s individual brilliance, or the start of a broader shift in competitive balance between the two leagues, will likely be a talking point among fans and analysts well beyond this single result. Either way, Wednesday night’s final gave both leagues a genuinely competitive, back-and-forth match worthy of the occasion.

The Bigger Picture: Messi’s Enduring Impact on American Soccer

It is worth stepping back to appreciate just how unusual this stretch of Messi’s career has been. Arriving at a struggling, last-place Inter Miami side in the middle of 2023, he needed only weeks to deliver a first trophy, then went on to add a Supporters’ Shield, an MLS Cup, and now a Campeones Cup, all while continuing to represent Argentina on the biggest international stages, including this year’s World Cup final. Reaching 100 goals for a single MLS club in just over three seasons is itself a remarkable rate of production for any player, let alone one in his late 30s facing a schedule that mixes league games, continental competitions, and international duty.

Beyond the personal numbers, Messi’s presence has reshaped the profile of MLS on the global stage. Matches like Wednesday’s Campeones Cup final draw international broadcast attention, heavy travel from opposing fanbases, and mainstream sports coverage that MLS matches rarely received before his arrival. A result like this one, an MLS club beating a well-supported Liga MX giant in a high-profile final, headlined by a landmark individual milestone, is exactly the kind of moment that continues to fuel the broader argument that Messi’s move to Major League Soccer has had an outsized impact on the league’s visibility and competitive standing, well beyond the trophy case at Inter Miami itself.

For Inter Miami fans, and for neutral soccer fans who simply enjoy watching one of the greatest players in history continue to find new milestones, Wednesday night’s win over Cruz Azul offered a bit of everything: a full-circle personal achievement, a historic first for the club and the league, and a hard-fought, entertaining final between two well-matched sides. It is easy to see why “inter miami – cruz azul” shot to the top of search trends within hours of the final whistle, and why the story is likely to keep generating conversation as highlights, reactions, and follow-up analysis continue to roll out in the days ahead. Between a full-circle 100th goal, a first trophy for a new head coach, a first Campeones Cup for an MLS club, and a record-extending night for the most decorated player in the sport’s history, few single matches manage to pack in this many genuinely significant storylines at once, which is exactly why this particular result has traveled so far beyond the usual soccer press and into mainstream search and social feeds within hours of the final whistle.

How Many Career Trophies Has Messi Won Now?

Alongside the 100-goal milestone, this win added another entry to what is already the largest trophy collection in the history of professional football. Reporting from MLSsoccer.com framed the Campeones Cup as Messi’s record 48th career trophy, continuing a run that includes 35 titles won at Barcelona, six with the Argentina national team, three with Paris Saint-Germain, and now a growing collection with Inter Miami. It is worth noting that exact career trophy counts vary slightly from outlet to outlet depending on which honors are included in the tally (some trackers list totals a title or two higher or lower), but every major count agrees on the same underlying fact: nobody in the sport’s history has won more.

With Inter Miami specifically, the Campeones Cup is Messi’s fourth trophy since joining the club in July 2023, following the 2023 Leagues Cup (won in his debut appearance, fittingly also against Cruz Azul), the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, and the 2025 MLS Cup.

Reactions and What Comes Next for Inter Miami

Inter Miami co-owners David Beckham and Jose Mas were on hand to celebrate with Messi and the squad after the final whistle, underlining how significant this particular trophy is for a club ownership group that has invested heavily in building a roster capable of competing for silverware on both a domestic and continental stage. Messi was named the match’s outstanding player, taking home the Campeones Cup’s individual player-of-the-match honor to go with the team trophy.

For Cruz Azul, the runner-up finish caps an otherwise strong year that included the Liga MX Clausura 2026 title and a playoff win over Toluca to reach this final in the first place. Losing to an MLS side for the first time in Campeones Cup history will sting, but La Maquina’s route through Mexican football’s most demanding stage this year showed real quality even in defeat.

Looking ahead, Inter Miami will now shift focus back to their MLS regular-season campaign as they push for a strong playoff seeding, with the club still very much in the mix for the Supporters’ Shield and a chance to defend its MLS Cup title later in the year. New head coach Kily Gonzalez will look to build on this opening statement result as he settles into the job full-time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul

What was the final score of Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul?

Inter Miami won 2-0, with goals from Lionel Messi in the 24th minute and Casemiro in the 81st minute.

What trophy were Inter Miami and Cruz Azul playing for?

They met in the final of the 2026 Campeones Cup, the annual match between the reigning MLS Cup champion and the reigning Liga MX Campeon de Campeones.

Why was Messi’s goal against Cruz Azul so significant?

It was Messi’s 100th goal for Inter Miami across all competitions, and it came against the same opponent, Cruz Azul, that he scored his first-ever Inter Miami goal against back in his July 2023 debut.

How many appearances did it take Messi to reach 100 Inter Miami goals?

Messi reached the milestone in 115 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Who scored Inter Miami’s second goal?

Casemiro scored the second goal in the 81st minute, heading in a corner kick delivered by Messi. It was his fourth goal in his last five appearances for the club.

Is this Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup title?

Yes. It is Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup title and the first time an MLS club has won the competition since it began in 2018; every previous final had been won by a Liga MX side.

Who is Inter Miami’s new head coach?

Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez took charge as Inter Miami’s new head coach and won this Campeones Cup final in his first match leading the team.

How did Cruz Azul qualify for the Campeones Cup final?

Cruz Azul won the Liga MX Clausura 2026 title, then defeated Apertura 2025 champion Toluca in a playoff to become Mexico’s Campeon de Campeones and earn its place in the final.

How many career trophies has Messi won?

Reporting from MLSsoccer.com described the Campeones Cup win as Messi’s record 48th career trophy, the most of any player in football history, though exact tallies vary slightly by outlet depending on which honors are counted.

Key Takeaways

• Inter Miami defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the 2026 Campeones Cup at Nu Stadium.
• Lionel Messi scored his 100th Inter Miami goal in the 24th minute, a header off a Luis Suarez cross, against the same club he scored his first Inter Miami goal against in 2023.
• Casemiro sealed the win with a header in the 81st minute, his fourth goal in five matches.
• The win is Inter Miami’s first Campeones Cup title and the first time an MLS club has won the tournament since it began in 2018.
• New head coach Kily Gonzalez won a trophy in his very first match in charge.
• The result also christened Nu Stadium with its first trophy since opening in April 2026.
• The win added to Messi’s all-time record trophy collection, reported by MLSsoccer.com as his 48th career title.