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Audi is taking their passion for performance onto the soccer pitch as the new “Official Premium Automotive Partner” of Inter Miami CF.

The multi-year partnership between the automative company and soccer team was unveiled last week during a two-day event in Miami, which brought out the likes of Diego Calva, basketball star Tim Hardaway Jr., DJ Brendan Fallis and a handful of Inter Miami players, who helped fete the new launch (Miami CF star Lionel Messi was not in attendance, as he was prepping for Argentina’s Copa America finals appearance).

As part of the new partnership, Audi cars and SUVs will be seen both on and off the field at Chase Stadium in Miami, including the new Audi e-tron GT and Audi RS Q8, both wrapped in Inter Miami’s now-iconic pink and black team colors. Audi will also show up during games on stadium billboards and on the LED screens, as well as on Inter Miami’s digital and social platforms.

Inter Miami CF fans, meantime, will have access to branded activations, like special Audi Test Drive experiences, and current Audi owners (of cars from the 2023-2024 fleet) can also purchase exclusive Inter Miami CF Themes for the Audi dashboard interface system, transforming their vehicle’s interior with display wallpapers inspired by the team.

For Inter Miami fullback Julian Gressel, the new Audi partnership is just further proof of soccer’s continued growth and popularity in the U.S. “It’s a global sport that everybody plays in the whole world, and the U.S. is finally catching up to that,” Gressel told Rolling Stone at the kickoff event. “We obviously now have players that are global superstars, so it makes sense that more people and all of these companies are wanting to be a part of that.”

Gressel grew up in Germany, where soccer is basically a national past-time, and he says he was surprised to see the muted reaction to the sport when he first moved to the U.S. “In Germany, I didn’t know anything else,” he says. “I was two or three years old and all I had was a soccer ball to kick around, so when I came over here when I was 18 for college, I realized it was a sport that was still kind of lacking a bit behind. But with the World Cup coming again, Copa America being here, and new MLS franchises, you can see the excitement and fans filling stadiums,” he enthuses. “Soccer is capturing the excitement of whole cities and it’s incredible.”

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And then there’s the Messi effect: “Everywhere we go, it’s sold-out crowds, and people in front of hotels, and just a ton of excitement around,” Gressel says. “He’s creating a ton of buzz and there’s a ripple effect taking place now with brands like Audi and partnerships like this.”

Audi has been an official automotive partner of MLS since 2015, with six local club partnerships now, including D.C. United, Orlando City SC, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls, in addition to Miami. The brand is also the official Naming Rights sponsor of Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The “Audi Goals Drive Progress” program, launched in 2019, has also helped to fund player development at MLS academies, while providing financial support to community initiatives led by MLS players.

Gressel says he has a personal connection to Audi as well: “My first car that I ever purchased on my own was an Audi A3,” he reveals. “And Ingolstadt [Germany], where the Audi headquarters are at, is about 45 minutes from my hometown, so I used to drive past it all the time. So seeing the four rings [logo] now here in Miami, is kind of a full circle moment.”

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The Audi partnership wasn’t the only new announcement from Inter Miami this week. The club also debuted new soccer jerseys that lean in on retro Miami vibes in an Eighties-inspired aqua colorway. Dubbed the “Archive Collection,” this will be the team’s third kit.

The full collection includes a a jersey, jacket, and Adidas Gazelle shoes. Shop the Inter Miami CF Archive Collection online at mlsstore.com.