The trophy, which Messi received in Paris on Monday, will be presented to the crowd before kickoff, with that ceremony also set to include remarks by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge  Mas, the team said in a press release.

And there will be no shortage of themes built around the No. 8, commemorating the record time Messi has won the Ballon d’Or – presented annually to the world’s top player.

The team is saying it will ‘celebr8’ Messi’s trophy by playing the extra game, and a special drink priced at $8.88. There will be gold fireworks and a gold carpet entrance as well, the team said, another nod to the gold trophy.

Inter Miami will ‘celebr8’ Lionel Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or by playing against NYFC on Nov. 10

Messi returned to South Florida early Tuesday after the Ballon d’Or announcement and was at a training session with the club that morning, which was a clear indicator that Inter Miami was still looking to add a match even though its MLS season is over.

Messi and Inter Miami were scheduled to travel to China to play two friendly matches – with the possibility of more than 100,000 tickets getting sold for those games – this coming week, but that tour deal with a slew of logistical issues and was eventually called off.

Inter Miami said the reason was ‘unforeseen circumstances.’

The tour promotor, NSN, said the decision to cancel was out of respect to Chinese officials following the death last week of the country’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang. He was China’s top economic official for over a decade.

Messi won the World Cup before joining Miami in July & won the Leagues Cup with the Herons

The NYFC match will also be a tune-up of sorts for Messi, who hasn’t played since Inter Miami’s MLS season ended on October 21.

The 2022 World Cup winner, who made 14 appearances across all competitions in his first half season as an Inter Miami player, registered 11 goals and eight assists for the American club this year.

On top of that, he helped the team lift the 2023 Leagues Cup, its historic first trophy, and reach the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, playing the first ever final to be hosted in Miami.

Messi is expected to join Argentina for 2026 World Cup qualifying games against Uruguay (in Buenos Aires) on November 16 and Brazil (in Rio de Janeiro) on November 21.