Inter Miami have been hit with a major future Leagues Cup absence after Luis Suárez received a six-match suspension. The ban is confirmed by the competition’s Organising Committee, according to ESPN, and means the forward will not be available for the club’s next six Leagues Cup matches when the punishment is served.
What happened after the final
ESPN reported that Suárez spat at a Seattle Sounders staff member following the Leagues Cup final on 31 August. Seattle won that match 3-0.
The Organising Committee has linked its six-match punishment to that post-match incident. This is not a ban for a league fixture or a general suspension across every competition: it is specifically for the Leagues Cup.
That distinction matters. Inter Miami will feel the impact when they next take part in the tournament, rather than immediately across their full schedule.
The six-match Leagues Cup punishment
The six-match ban is due to be served in a future edition of the Leagues Cup, ESPN said. That is the key confirmed detail at this stage.
It means Suárez’s availability in the competition will be restricted for a significant stretch. Six matches is a long absence in any cup format, especially because tournament schedules can move quickly.
However, the supplied information does not set out the exact fixtures in which the suspension will be served. It also does not confirm the precise future Leagues Cup dates affected. Those details will only become clear once the relevant tournament schedule and Inter Miami’s participation are known.
MLS has issued a separate suspension
Suárez has also received a separate three-match suspension from MLS, ESPN reported. That is independent from the Leagues Cup decision.
So there are two different punishments to keep apart. The MLS sanction covers three matches, while the Leagues Cup sanction covers six matches in a future edition of that competition.
There is no need to blur the two. The longer ban is tied to Leagues Cup action; the MLS ban comes from the league separately.
Other punishments from the final
The disciplinary action was not limited to Suárez. ESPN reported that Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets was handed a two-match Leagues Cup ban.
Inter Miami defender Tomás Avilés received a three-match Leagues Cup ban, according to the same report. Seattle staff member Steven Lenhart was given a five-match Leagues Cup ban.
Those sanctions show that the aftermath of the final has led to consequences for people from both clubs. Still, Suárez’s six-game suspension is the longest punishment reported for an Inter Miami player in this set of decisions.
Mascherano flags the loss for Inter Miami
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said the club would lose an important player because of Suárez’s suspension, ESPN reported on 12 September 2025.
That is understandable context from the coach, but it does not change the status of the decision: the ban has been imposed and is set to apply in a future Leagues Cup edition.
For Miami, the immediate football question is not whether Suárez can play every upcoming match. It is when the club’s next Leagues Cup campaign arrives, and which six matches will fall within the suspension.
What remains to be confirmed
The confirmed part is straightforward: Suárez has a six-match Leagues Cup ban, and MLS has separately suspended him for three matches. The incident happened after Seattle’s 3-0 win in the Leagues Cup final.
What is not set out in the available report is the exact future match list for the Leagues Cup ban. Until there is a schedule and clarity on the relevant edition, the specific games Suárez will miss cannot be named.
The next verifiable step will be confirmation of the future Leagues Cup fixtures in which Inter Miami’s six-match absence for Suárez is applied.