Inter Miami is set to make a splash on the global stage next summer, joining the ranks of football giants like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid in the 2025 Club World Cup. This exciting development raises the tantalizing possibility of Lionel Messi’s Miami squad facing off against Pep Guardiola’s City, rekindling the former Barcelona duo’s partnership, but this time as rivals.
Manchester City earned their spot in the expanded Club World Cup by winning the Champions League in 2023, and many of the world’s top clubs have already secured their places. However, FIFA had one spot reserved for the host country. On Saturday night, FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed that Inter Miami would take that coveted place, much to the excitement of U.S. soccer fans.
“The United States has shown that you are consistently the best club on the field of play,” Infantino said in his announcement, singling out Inter Miami’s accomplishments. “Therefore, I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025.”
The tournament, set to kick off on June 15 in Miami, will feature a star-studded lineup including Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, and Benfica. The final spot will be filled by this year’s Copa Libertadores winner, with the official draw set for December.
Inter Miami’s inclusion in the tournament comes off the back of an extraordinary performance in Major League Soccer, where they broke the single-season points record after defeating New England Revolution. Messi, as usual, played a starring role, scoring a stunning hat-trick in just 12 minutes.
Early on, it seemed Miami’s record-breaking aspirations were in jeopardy as New England raced to a 2-0 lead. But Luis Suarez, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, turned the tide with two rapid goals just before halftime. Messi’s magic was on full display in the second half, assisting Benjamin Cremaschi to put Miami ahead, before sealing the victory with his own flurry of goals in the dying minutes.
With their record secured and the top play-off spot already clinched, Miami is now looking ahead to the Club World Cup, where Messi and his teammates will have the chance to test themselves against the best clubs in the world.
