Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play in next year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed Saturday. Infantino said Messi and his teammates will open the competition on Sunday, June 15, at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
Inter’s Chase Stadium was where the FIFA president spoke after Messi scored a hat-trick to break the MLS regular season points record with a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution. Miami earned Major League Soccer’s Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record this month and will qualify for the host nation.
“Inter Miami qualifies as the host country representative team on the basis of the club’s outstanding and consistent 34-match campaign that saw them secure the shield with two MLS matches to play,” FIFA announced in a tweet.
The MLS Cup playoffs begin next week and end on December 7 to determine the league champion.
Miami are favorites to win the playoffs, but FIFA’s selection of regular season winners guarantees the Argentine superstar’s participation. The inclusion of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is a much-needed boost to the new event, which FIFA hopes will captivate worldwide television viewers and US fans before the 2026 World Cup.
Messi may face elite European clubs for the first time since leaving PSG for Miami last year. Each FIFA continental confederation’s champions will play in the 32-team event.
Argentina’s River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Flamengo are among six South American teams, while Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich are among 12 European teams. FIFA has not announced any broadcast or sponsorship deals for the tournament, which has encountered some internal opposition.
The European Leagues body and FIFpro complained to the European Commission about FIFA adding the tournament to the international fixture calendar. Opponents of the new event say it adds to a packed schedule and increases player workload.
Manchester City won the last Club World Cup, a knockout tournament with seven teams, over Fluminense in Saudi Arabia. FIFA plans to hold the expanded event every four years, although 2029’s host is unknown.
On-fire Lionel Messi scored his second hat-trick of the week and Luis Suarez scored twice as Inter Miami broke MLS’s regular season points record 6-2 over the New England Revolution.
Miami won their final regular season game to reach 74 points, one more than New England’s 2021 record. Messi, who came off the bench in the 58th minute and sparked the late flurry of goals, has 20 goals in 19 MLS appearances while Suarez, former Barcelona teammate, has 20 in 27.
Inter had already won the Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record and are strong favorites in the MLS Cup playoffs, which begin next week. Breaking the record added some excitement to the final game. At halftime, Gerardo Martino’s club was tied after Suarez scored twice.
Suarez started the comeback after 34th-minute goals from Argentine Luca Langoni and Colombian Dylan Borrero. The home crowd was clamoring for Messi’s entrance from the bench. After fine work from David Martinez, the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker scored with his left foot.
