Lionel Messi makes his historic MLS Cup Playoffs debut this Friday, October 25, as the playoffs return to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for a free primetime match . The top-seeded Inter Miami CF kicks off against Atlanta United FC at 8:30 p.m. EDT for the Round One Best-of-3 Series.
After joining Inter Miami CF last season and leading the club to claim the Supporters' Shield and single-season points record earlier this month, Messi is aiming to reach yet another milestone in his legendary career with a record 47th trophy.
Fans can tune in on Apple TV to enjoy the match in its entirety, and have an incredible breadth of options to watch live, including through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs and streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and on the web at tv.apple.com .
Additionally, top-ranked clubs - including defending MLS Cup and Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winners Los Angeles FC, and more - are vying to claim the 29th MLS Cup. MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is the only place fans can watch every playoff match with no blackouts, culminating with the MLS Cup final on December 7.
"We're offering Friday's match to fans worldwide on MLS Season Pass at no cost to celebrate an amazing season and Messi making his first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "This is a historic moment, and we're thrilled that viewers have such an extensive array of ways to watch."
"Our partnership with Apple has brought MLS to global audiences in innovative ways, and making this opening playoff match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United available at no cost is another example of our commitment to connect with fans," said Don Garber, MLS's commissioner. "The Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs are going to be intense from start to finish, so we're excited to kick things off on Apple TV with this matchup of two great clubs featuring some of our sport's biggest stars."
"The history books could be rewritten with the MLS Cup Playoffs, when you consider Inter Miami winning the Supporters' Shield, breaking the record for most points in a season, and ultimately vying for the MLS Cup," said Taylor Twellman, MLS Season Pass's lead analyst. "The attention on the playoffs will be unlike anything we've seen, because with every trophy Messi wins, he becomes more and more the greatest of all time. And the best part is everyone is coming to try to knock him off the mantle. It's going to be fun to watch it all unfold."
"Following 38 matchdays of fantastic regular-season soccer, we're coming to the most beautiful time of the season," said Sammy Sadovnik, MLS Season Pass's Spanish-language play-by-play announcer. "Miami's success will depend on both their ability to maintain the consistency they've displayed in the regular season and the talents of Leo Messi, the best player in the world."
More Ways to Watch
In addition to broadcasting free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Friday night's match will also stream live on apple.com and in Apple Store locations across the world, including Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City, Apple Union Square in San Francisco, and Apple The Grove in Los Angeles, in addition to Apple Store locations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea, and Mexico.
Fans on TikTok can enjoy a special "Player Spotlight: Messi" presentation of Friday's match where the camera will be trained on Messi as he lights up the pitch. The stream will broadcast live on the @MLS TikTok profile and be simulcast on the @InterMiamiCF TikTok profile, beginning five minutes before kickoff. This will mark the first time TikTok has streamed an entire live soccer match with a single-player focus. Fans can register on TikTok to stream the live event.
The match will be provided at no additional cost to all DIRECTV residential satellite customers on channel 622 and all DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS customers on channel 9475.
Round One Best-of-3 Series: Game One Schedule
Friday, October 25
Inter Miami CF vs. Atlanta United FC
8:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday, October 26
LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids
11 p.m. EDT
Sunday, October 27
Orlando City SC vs. Charlotte FC
7:30 p.m. EDT
LAFC vs. TBD (winner of today's Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers wild card match)
9:45 p.m. EDT
Monday, October 28
FC Cincinnati vs. New York City FC
6:45 p.m. EDT
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo FC
9 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, October 29
Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls
6:45 p.m. EDT
Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota United FC
9 p.m. EDT
How to Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
MLS Season Pass will broadcast every match of the postseason, including the MLS Cup final presented by Audi. MLS Season Pass is available through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com . Fans can also access MLS Season Pass from the Apple TV app on Apple Vision Pro, where they can watch games alongside other apps in their physical space; within an Environment, so the screen feels 100 feet wide; and in Spatial Audio for an even more immersive viewing experience.
