Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami has been selected to play in FIFA Club World Cup 2025 held in the United States next summer.
The announcement was made by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday night as Messi and Inter Miami celebrated winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield, given to the club with the best regular-season record this season, following a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.
Inter Miami will occupy the host bid, which was one of two spots remaining in the 32-team tournament, where soccer giants like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain will compete in a World Cup-style tournament for a championship.
Inter Miami will play in the Club World Cup opener at Hard Rock Stadium on June 15, 2025. The final is July 13, 2025 at MetLife Stadium – the same venue to host the World Cup 2026 final.
“First, you were the best team of the season in America. Second, based on this outstanding performance of this year, you deserve to be and will be in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. And the third, as the host team in FIFA Club World Cup 2025, you have the honor of playing the opening game in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium,” Infantino said during the postgame celebration at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami has been widely regarded as an obvious candidate for the host bid because of Messi’s presence. The Argentine World Cup champion and two-time Copa America champion is playing in the twilight of his illustrious career with an American team in Major League Soccer.
Messi is the biggest draw in the sport, and would undoubtedly be the biggest star in the tournament – overshadowing the likes of Real Madrid’s star trio of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, and Man City’s elite scorer Erling Haaland.
To be clear: FIFA made the decision to choose Inter Miami, not Major League Soccer.
While MLS offered suggestions as criteria, FIFA was able to officially name a host nation after regulations for the tournament were unanimously approved by the organization this month.
FIFA previously did not share its criteria in deciding its host nation bid, while 30 of the 32 teams either have won a significant championship or considered the next highest-ranking club in their respective delegations.
“Details regarding the host slot allocation will be announced in due course,” FIFA says on multiple articles about the tournament on its website.
Essentially, it was unclear whether Inter Miami’s MLS Supporters’ Shield title or Messi’s mere presence were qualifying factors to earn the host bid before the MLS Cup playoffs begin next week.
“We all know how Miami is in love with football, and how Inter Miami is supported from across Florida and beyond for your exciting brand of football,” the FIFA president added in a statement. “Congratulations on your wonderful 2024 Supporters’ Shield success. You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field of play.”
Inter Miami becomes the second MLS team, and fifth team from North America in the Club World Cup – joining the last four winners of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Monterrey (Mexico) won in 2021, the Seattle Sounders (USA) won in 2022, Club Leon (Mexico) won in 2023 and Pachuca (Mexico) won the most recent Champions Cup earlier this year against 2023 MLS champion Columbus Crew.
Here are 31 of 32 teams that have already qualified for the tournament, and how they qualified:
Here’s the stadium sites where the Club World Cup will be played:
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