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It was something that had been warned and feared could happen: FIFA announced that Inter Miami will play in the new Club World Cup organized by the United States in 2025 due to the enormous popularity of Lionel Messi worldwide and the fact that the tournament already had some matches planned in South Florida.
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The announcement was made by Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, at Chase Stadium, the Inter’s stadium located in Fort Lauderdale: “Congratulations to Inter Miami CF for their qualification for the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025…Due to their amazing performance this year, they deserve to be and will be in the 2025 Club World Cup.”
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FIFA had reserved a spot in the World Cup for a team from the host country, and it was supposed to be awarded to the champion of the 2024 Major League Soccer season.
However, Infantino, in collusion with the United States Soccer Federation, decided to speed up the process and gift Inter with the qualification to ensure Messi’s presence.
Indeed, the Inter was the best team of the MLS regular season and closed it with a 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution (three goals from Messi) this Saturday night in front of Infantino’s eyes. Thanks to this, they were awarded the trophy known as the Supporters’ Shield. However, the playoffs are still pending to determine the ultimate title, the 2025 MLS champions.
FIFA’s and Infantino’s imposition of holding a new Club World Cup with 32 teams did not sit well with the major European teams and top football stars, as it takes away another summer of rest and adds to the match schedule. That’s why they filed a lawsuit against FIFA.
The tournament, which will be held every four years, includes 32 teams from the six FIFA football confederations. The opening match, scheduled for June 15, 2025, will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and will feature one of the teams from the United States: that’s why it was important to secure the qualification of Inter and Messi at all costs.
The tournament will run until July 13th. The final is scheduled at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will also host the 2026 World Cup final. So far, the Club World Cup has not attracted major US sponsors and there is no established media rights deal.
Other sites in the United States that will host the Club World Cup are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, and Seattle.
Twelve European clubs will be included in the competition: Atlético de Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid, and Salzburg.
Other teams that have qualified include Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, and River Plate from South America; León, Monterrey, Pachuca, and Seattle Sounders from CONCACAF; Al Ahly, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Wydad from Africa; Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan, and Urawa from Asia, and Auckland City from Oceania.
Inter Miami becomes the 31st confirmed team. The last one will be determined on November 30th in the final of the Copa Libertadores in Buenos Aires. The World Cup draw will take place in December.
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