Inter Miami have big names and cache in the U.S., but the MLS side will be challenged to make a deep run this summer
Inter Miami were always going to be here. It made literally no sense of them not to be. This is the Club World Cup, FIFA's flagship new tournament in America. Lionel Messi plays soccer here. Even if they had undergone a middling season, they would find a way to participate.
And so it came to pass, the 2024 MLS Supporters' shield winners were named to the competition and are hosting the opener of what FIFA hopes will be a crucial part of the fabric of world football for years to come.
All of the storylines center around one player, of course. Fans from all over want to see Lionel Messi play. But look closer, and there's a semblance of a good team to be found. Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba may be well past their best, but they still have experience in bunches.
Meanwhile, new manager Javier Mascherano has been tactically astute to open MLS's campaign. Making a run in the Club World Cup, though, is another matter. What's possible for Messi and Miami?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT. Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field.
Next up is Inter Miami, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for one of the two MLS sides participating in this summer's tournament.
Getty ImagesThe Basics
DOMESTIC LEAGUE: MLS
CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: None
GROUP: A (Inter Miami, Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly FC)
OPENING MATCH: Al Ahly – June 14, 8 p.m., Miami
AdvertisementImagnHow they got here
There didn't seem to be very clear criteria, honestly. Miami got here because FIFA sort of wanted them to be. There was a bit of controversy involved in their qualification. When Miami won the Supporters' Shield at the end of last year, FIFA announced that they would be playing this summer. MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy, meanwhile, will watch from home.
GettyThe player to watch
The competition notwithstanding, the subtext of the 2025 Club World Cup is about the spread of soccer in the United States, and what better to do it than have Lionel Messi play a central role? Of course, it's not that Messi will be particularly easy to miss.
The Argentine is 37, and doesn't move as much these days, but is still among the best in the world (those eight Ballons d'Or didn't win themselves).
He sort of strolls his way through MLS, and if the pieces were better shaped around him, he would be entering this with a winner's medal around his neck already. The question is what sort of impact he might be able to have against the bigger teams.
He is still elite for Argentina, but there were signs at last year's Copa America that he could be stifled. Either way, when you have Messi, you have a chance. Welcome to the Leo show.
Getty Images SportRealistic expectations
It depends on results elsewhere in the group, of course. Miami absolutely to beat Al Ahly in their opener, and hope that results elsewhere go their way. Four points, historically, tends to be enough to get out of a four-team group.
A result against Palmeiras, and hope that Porto win out – which they really should – and Miami could sneak through in second place.
After that, all bets are off. A kind draw might get them through the last 16, but – in a tournament featuring the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, among others – anything beyond that would be a minor miracle. MLS clubs just aren't at that level yet.
