Inter Miami, with Messi and Suárez, is the host country’s representative at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Clubs and fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament that will bring together representatives from all continents, totaling 32 teams, and will be held between June and July in the United States. Many of the biggest stars in football will be on the pitch. So the question remains: will Lionel Messi, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, be one of them?
The answer is yes! The Argentine star will wear the Inter Miami jersey. The team, which has David Beckham as a shareholder and Luis Suárez as a center forward, will represent the host country, as is customary in the World Cups organized by FIFA. The announcement was made in December of last year and generated some controversy, since Major League Soccer (MLS) had not yet finished – usually, the host spot is given to the current national champion of the host country. In the tournament, Inter Miami was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Inter Miami is in Group A of the Club World Cup. The group also includes Al Ahly (Egypt), Palmeiras and Porto (Portugal).
Messi’s team will play the first game of the tournament. The opening match will be on June 14 (Saturday), starting at 9 pm (Brasília time), against Al Ahly. The duel will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami. Then, they will play against Porto and, in the last round, the opponent will be Palmeiras
The Club World Cup groups
Group A
Palmeiras (BRA)
Porto (POR)
Al-Ahly (EGI)
Inter Miami (USA)
Group B
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Botafogo (BRA)
Seattle Sounders (USA)
Group C
Bayern Munich (GER)
Auckland City (NZL)
Boca Juniors (ARG)
Benfica (POR)
Group D
Flamengo (BRA)
Espérance de Tunis (TUN)
Chelsea (ENG)
León (MEX)
Group E
River Plate (ARG)
Urawa Red Diamonds (JAP)
Monterrey (MEX)
Inter Milan (ITA)
Group F
Fluminense (BRA)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Ulsan (KOR)
Mamelodi Sundowns (AFS)
Group G
Manchester City (ENG)
Wydad Casablanca (MAR)
Al Ain (UAE)
Juventus (ITA)
Group H
Real Madrid (ESP)
Al Hilal (SAU)
Pachuca (MEX)
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)
The first edition of the Super Club World Cup will be in the United States. In total, 12 stadiums in 11 cities will host the games. Miami [Hard Rock Stadium]
Seattle [Lumen Field]
Los Angeles [Rose Bowl Stadium]
Orlando [Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium]
Atlanta [Mercedes Benz Stadium]
Nashville [Geodis Park]
Charlotte [Bank of America Stadium]
Cincinnati [TQL Stadium]
Washington [Audi Field]
Philadelphia [Lincoln Financial Field]
New York [MetLife Stadium]
The Super Club World Cup will have a format similar to the World Cup. In the qualifying phase, 32 clubs will be divided into eight groups of four.
The teams in each group will face each other in a single round, with three matches each. The top two teams will qualify for the round of 16, while the bottom two will be eliminated. From the round of 16 onwards, the format will be a classic knockout, with single-match elimination rounds. There will be no third-place playoff.
