MLS Cup 2025: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami to host Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps

Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller will meet in the 2025 MLS Cup Final.

Inter Miami CF will host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 6. Inter Miami routed New York City FC 5-1 in the Eastern Conference final before the Whitecaps topped 10-man San Diego FC 3-1.

Inter Miami 5-1 New York City FC

This one turned out to be a little closer than the final scoreline would indicate, at least for a little over an hour. After Tadeo Allende scored in the 14th and 23rd minutes, Justin Haak made it 2-1 in the 37th as the Pigeons sought to climb back into it. But Miami’s Rocco Rios Novo made a tremendous save in the 66th minute to preserve Miami’s lead.

After that, Miami was able to ice it away. Mateo Silvetti made it 3-1 in the 67th, putting the 19-year-old on 2g/3a in his last three matches. Telasco Segovia made it 4-1 in the 83rd before Allende completed his hat trick in the 89th.

San Diego FC 1-3 Vancouver Whitecaps

This one was all Whitecaps from the start as they opened up a 3-0 halftime lead through a Brian White first-half brace and a Pablo Sisniega own goal. Chucky Lozano pegged one back for the hosts on the hour mark, but Vancouver saw matters out to secure the win at Snapdragon Stadium as Sisniega was sent off in the 79th minute.

So what’s Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller’s head-to-head record?

December 6 will prove to be a star-studded affair as two of the biggest names in world football will square off in South Florida. But while Messi and Müller look to claim their respective clubs’ first MLS championship, it’s far from the biggest match the two men have played against each other. That one would be the 2014 World Cup final, which saw Germany defeat Argentina 1-0 behind a Mario Götze goal in the 113th minute.

All told, Müller has a 7W-3L-0D record against Messi. They first met in a March 2010 friendly — a 1-0 Argentina win — months before Germany coasted to a 4-0 win in a World Cup quarterfinal that saw Müller score in the 2nd minute.

Messi and Müller also have plenty of history between them in the UEFA Champions League. In the 2013 semifinal, Müller bagged a brace in the first leg before leaving due to injury as Bayern Munich breezed past FC Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate. Two years later, Barcelona got its revenge as it dropped Bayern 5-3 on aggregate in the semifinal, thanks in part to a pair of Messi goals in the first leg. Then, in a 2020 quarterfinal, Bayern dominated Barcelona 8-2 behind Müller’s 2g/1a performance.

Later, in the Round of 16 in 2023, Müller’s Bayern took down Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain by a 3-0 aggregate scoreline.