Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami has one fewer path to qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, after Chicago Fire’s elimination from the Leagues Cup.
Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami are facing a narrower path to next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, after Chicago Fire’s elimination from the Leagues Cup closed off another route to the continental tournament.
Chicago Fire fell 2-1 to CF Monterrey in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, with Orbelin Pineda’s 83rd-minute strike sealing their exit. The result matters beyond Chicago’s own campaign, since winning the Leagues Cup carries three automatic Concacaf Champions Cup berths, meaning the Fire’s elimination removed one of the paths that could have opened up a spot for other MLS sides.
According to journalist Jose Armando of Deportes Total USA, Chicago Fire’s elimination directly affects Inter Miami‘s own situation, since it means the Herons now need to finish among the top three teams in the overall Supporters’ Shield standings to secure a spot in the tournament. Should they fail to reach that mark, winning the MLS Cup would become Miami’s only remaining path to next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
Inter Miami were already eliminated from this year’s Leagues Cup, leaving the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup as their only remaining routes to the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF. (Getty Images)
How the Supporters’ Shield race currently stands
Inter Miami currently sit third overall in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 39 points from 21 matches, trailing leaders Nashville SC (49 points) and Vancouver Whitecaps (40 points), while Houston Dynamo (38 points) and Chicago Fire (36 points) are breathing down their neck from just below.
Supporters’ Shield standings.
With the gap to the top spot sitting at 10 points and roughly a third of the season still to play, holding onto that third-place position, rather than chasing the Shield outright, now looks like Inter Miami’s most realistic path back into the Concacaf Champions Cup.