Lionel Messi is being sued by a Miami-based events promoter who says the FIFA World Cup winner breached the terms of a $7 million contract by missing a practice match last year.
Vid Music Group filed the fraud and breach of contract lawsuit against Messi and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in Miami-Dade court last month, court records show.
Messi and the AFA did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi appears with both his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, and fans routinely pay much higher prices for the chance to see him play.
According to the lawsuit, Vid signed a deal with the AFA last summer for the exclusive rights to organize and promote Argentina’s friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico last October in exchange for ticket, broadcast and sponsorship revenue.
Vid claims Messi had to play at least 30 minutes in every match unless he got injured.
Messi, 38, watched Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Venezuela on Oct. 10 from a suite at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, the lawsuit said.
The following day, Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s 4–0 MLS win over Atlanta. That match was important for Inter Miami as it gave his team home field advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs.
Messi then played in Argentina’s 6–0 win over Puerto Rico on 14 October. That game was originally scheduled to take place in Chicago, but low ticket sales in the city, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made more than 1,000 arrests, prompted organizers to move the game to Florida.
The AFA blamed immigration enforcement’s crackdown when the smaller venue in Fort Lauderdale failed to sell out, even after ticket prices were lowered to $25 each.
Vid has not specified the damages it is seeking in the lawsuit, but claims it has lost millions due to Messi’s failure to appear in one match and low ticket sales in the other.
Published on April 16, 2026
