MIAMI — Nu Stadium in Miami hosted its inaugural match on April 4, 2026, as Inter Miami and Austin FC played to a 2-2 draw. The 26,700-seat venue, located next to Miami International Airport, opened after the club spent six years playing home matches in Fort Lauderdale.

Before kickoff, co-owner David Beckham spoke to the assembled crowd, while singer Marc Anthony sang the national anthem. Beckham, wearing a club suit, participated in a pregame ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside co-owners Jorge Mas and Jose Mas. "I came to America and MLS twenty years ago with a dream – to win championships, to help grow the game of soccer that I love so much, and one day, to build a club of my own," Beckham said. He added, "We have the best player in the history of the game playing in Miami."

The stadium had no test events before the opening match other than a training session for season ticket holders. Hours before the April 4 match, Inter Miami was still awaiting an occupancy certificate from the city of Miami. Major League Soccer had scheduled Inter Miami's first five games of the season on the road to allow extra time for stadium preparation.

On the pitch, Myrto Uzuni struck the post with a free kick before Austin FC took the lead. Guilherme Biro scored the first goal in Nu Stadium history in the sixth minute with a header. Lionel Messi responded with a headed equalizer from a cross by right back Ian Fray, a 23-year-old South Florida native and Inter Miami's longest-serving player. Fray had suffered two separate cruciate ligament tears after his promotion to the first team in 2021.

Jayden Nelson, a halftime substitute, restored Austin FC's lead in the 53rd minute with his first goal for the club. Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver then saved a shot by Messi in the second half. Luis Suárez came on as a late substitute and scored an equalizing volley from close range with 10 minutes remaining. Messi struck the underside of the crossbar with a 90th-minute free kick, and Suárez had a tap-in ruled out for offside.

Beckham arrived in Miami in 2013 and said city politicians had promised him a downtown waterfront site, but cruise companies rejected that plan. His group evaluated at least three alternate sites and purchased land in Overtown that was contaminated with arsenic. Jorge Mas joined the project in 2017. In April 2022, city authorities approved plans to redevelop Melreese Country Club, the city's last publicly owned golf course, into a soccer village with the stadium as its centerpiece.

The $1 billion development is planned to include a 58-acre public park, retail and restaurant space, office space, and hotels with a total of 750 rooms. Phase 1 of the project was largely complete by the stadium opening, though the wider development complex remained under construction.