Cruz Azul stranded at AIFA, delays flight to Miami for Campeones Cup

Five hours of waiting, suitcases that never left the floor and a plan that fell apart: that was Cruz Azul's Monday at Felipe Ángeles International Airport. The team had everything set to fly from Mexico City to Miami, where it will play the 2026 Campeones Cup against Inter Miami, but an overweight issue on the aircraft left the Machine stranded as the clock worked against them.

The original plan was simple: land in Miami Monday evening and squeeze in a practice that same night at the Inter Miami FC Stadium facilities. None of that happened. With no way to resolve the weight issue in time, the front office chose the most sensible option: send the players to a hotel near AIFA to try again, this time on a chartered flight scheduled for first thing Tuesday morning.

The odd part is that not everyone got left behind. About 25 members of Cruz Azul's staff did manage to travel as originally planned, so part of the delegation is already in Miami while the rest, players and coaching staff included, spend an extra night in Mexico City before boarding the plane.

The schedule shifts, but nothing gets canceled

The setback forces a reshuffling of the timetable. The press conference where Joel Huiqui and Erik Lira were set to speak with reporters had been scheduled for Tuesday at noon, so it remains to be seen how that adjusts given the squad's late arrival. On Inter Miami's side, however, everything is proceeding as planned: the Florida club's training session will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Miami time (8:00 a.m. Mexico City time) on another field at the Herons' complex, unaffected by their rival's logistical headache.

Ebere, the good news amid the chaos

Amid the airport chaos, there is a development that lifts the mood among Cruz Azul fans: Christian Ebere will be considered for the trip to Miami. The Nigerian forward had been dealing with a recurring problem, restrictions tied to his nationality had kept him out of the United States, and that's why he missed both the League Stage of the 2026 Leagues Cup and the first leg of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.

This time the story looks different. Cruz Azul has him in the mix for the match against Inter Miami in the 2026 Campeones Cup, which would open the door for Ebere to make his debut on US soil wearing the Machine's jersey, something he had not been able to pull off until now due to paperwork beyond his control.