Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi, has been selected to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, which will take place in the United States next summer.

This announcement was made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Saturday night, just after Messi and Inter Miami secured the MLS Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, with a decisive 6-2 victory over the New England Revolution.

Inter Miami will have the host spot, one of the last two available in the 32-team tournament. This event will feature famous teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain, competing in a World Cup-style format for the championship title.

Inter Miami’s first match in the Club World Cup is scheduled for June 15, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium, with the final taking place on July 13, 2025, at MetLife Stadium, which is also set to host the final of the World Cup 2026.

Inter Miami was seen as a strong candidate for this host position, especially due to Messi’s influence. The Argentine World Cup-winning player and two-time Copa America champion is currently nearing the end of his remarkable career in Major League Soccer.

As one of the biggest stars in soccer, Messi is expected to outshine other prominent players in the tournament, such as Real Madrid’s trio of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham, as well as Manchester City’s top goal-scorer Erling Haaland.

It’s important to note that the choice to include Inter Miami was made by FIFA and not Major League Soccer.

FIFA has not disclosed the criteria it used for making host bid decisions, while 30 out of 32 participating teams have either secured a significant championship or ranked highly in their respective leagues.

There was some uncertainty about whether Inter Miami’s MLS Supporters’ Shield victory or the mere presence of Messi contributed to their selection before the MLS Cup playoffs commence next week.

“Details about the host spot allocation will be revealed in the near future,” FIFA states in several articles on its site concerning the tournament.

With this selection, Inter Miami becomes the second MLS club and the fifth club from North America to join the Club World Cup, alongside the last four champions of the Concacaf Champions Cup: Monterrey (MEX) in 2021, Seattle Sounders (USA) in 2022, Club Leon (MEX) in 2023, and Pachuca (MEX), who secured the most recent title against the 2023 MLS champion Columbus Crew earlier this year.

Clubs Participating in 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Here are 31 of the 32 teams already qualified for the tournament and their methods of qualification:

CONCACAF: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean

• Monterrey (MEX) – 2021 Concacaf Champions Cup
• Seattle Sounders (USA) – 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup
• Club Leon (MEX) – 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup
• Pachuca (MEX) – 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup
• Inter Miami (USA) – Host slot for 2025 Club World Cup

CONMEBOL: South America

• Palmeiras (BRA) – 2021 CONMEBOL Libertadores
• Flamengo (BRA) – 2022 CONMEBOL Libertadores
• Fluminense (BRA) – 2023 CONMEBOL Libertadores
• River Plate (ARG) – CONMEBOL ranking pathway
• Boca Juniors (ARG) – CONMEBOL ranking pathway
• TBD – 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores

UEFA: Union of European Football Associations

• Chelsea (ENG) – 2020/21 UEFA Champions League
• Real Madrid (ESP) – 2021/22 and 2023/24 UEFA Champions League
• Manchester City (ENG) – 2022/23 UEFA Champions League
• Bayern Munich (GER) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Inter Milan (ITA) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Porto (POR) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Benfica (POR) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Borussia Dortmund (GER) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Juventus (ITA) – UEFA ranking pathway
• Atletico Madrid (ESP) – UEFA ranking pathway
• FC Salzburg (AUT) – UEFA ranking pathway

AFC: Asian Football Confederation

• Al Hilal (KSA) – 2021 AFC Champions League
• Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) – 2022 AFC Champions League
• Al Ain (UAE) – 2023/24 AFC Champions League
• Ulsan HD FC (KOR) – AFC ranking pathway

CAF: Confederation of African Football

• Al Ahly (EGY) – 2020/21, 2022/23, and 2023/24 CAF Champions League
• Wydad (MAR) – 2021/22 CAF Champions League
• ES Tunis (TUN) – CAF ranking pathway
• Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) – CAF ranking pathway

OFC: Oceania Football Confederation

• Auckland City (NZL) – OFC ranking pathway

Locations for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Matches

The following stadiums will host the Club World Cup matches:

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
• TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
• Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
• MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
• Geodis Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
• Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
• Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)