Fireworks shot out from the rafters of Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Saturday night, but there was nothing for the home team to celebrate. When the final whistle blew in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami had been beaten 3-2 by Atlanta United and eliminated from the MLS playoffs.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami suffered a shock elimination in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs on Saturday, losing 3-2 to No. 9 seed Atlanta United on home soil in the best-of-three series decider.

Lionel Messi’s Major League Soccer season is over. So, what’s next for the Argentine World Cup champion in the United States? A look ahead to 2025-26.

Inter Miami may have set an MLS regular-season points record in 2024, but their unbalanced squad was exposed once the gritty postseason got underway.

Inter Miami has played Atlanta five times this year, and won just once, 2-1 in the playoff opener at home. Atlanta beat Miami 3-1 back in May, they tied 2-2 in September, and Atlanta stunned Miami on Saturday to force Game 3 with an extra-time game winner by Xande Silva before a crowd of 68,455 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Inter Miami's record-setting season is over. Messi and Co. were stunned in the first round of the MLS playoffs by No. 9 seed Atlanta.

There will be no MLS Cup for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami this year. Atlanta United saw to that with a massive upset, sending the game’s most decorated player and biggest-spending team home earlier than anyone imagined.

Lionel Messi vowed to "come back stronger" in 2025, following Inter Miami's elimination for the 2024 Major League Soccer playoffs on Saturday night at Chase Stadium.

The Herons' Round 1 playoff exit raises questions about their transfer and recruitment strategy over the past season