Inter Miami earns spot in 2025 Club World Cup, will play opener at Hard Rock Stadium
FIFA, global television executives, and Lionel Messi fans will get the field they surely wanted for the new, expanded 2025 Club World Cup.
Inter Miami on Saturday night was confirmed as the 31st of 32 clubs to seal a spot in the tournament and will play in the opening game on June 15 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Club World Cup is being held at 12 venues across the United States next summer with the final scheduled for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Inter Miami was chosen by FIFA as the host country representative based on winning the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield for compiling the best record over the 34-game regular season.
Most leagues around the world crown champions based on regular season records and do not use a playoff system, so FIFA chose to give the spot to the reigning Supporters’ Shield winner over defending MLS champion Columbus Crew, which also won the Leagues Cup this year and was the CONCACAF Champions Cup runner-up.
Of course, the fact that Inter Miami’s roster includes Lionel Messi didn’t hurt their case.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended Inter Miami’s regular season finale against the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium Saturday night, which Miami won 6-2, and delivered the news at a post-game ceremony.
“Miami is a wonderful football city with incredibly passionate and loyal fans who have helped inspire Inter Miami’s excellent performance during the regular season to secure the Supporters’ Shield,” Infantino said.
“It was important for me to be here in person, in front of the club’s supporters, players and staff, to add to their celebration by welcoming Inter Miami to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025…We look forward to an exciting [tournament], when the world’s eyes will once again be on Miami for the tournament’s thrilling opening match. I have no doubt Inter Miami’s fans will be ready to loudly support their club once again, this time on the global stage.”
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said: “We promised our fans we wound build a team capable of competing at the highest level. We’re proud to have reached another milestone for our club by being among the world’s best teams in FIFA Club World Cup 2025. It’s a monumental occasion for our fans worldwide and our community as we continue to elevate futbol in North America.”
Inter Miami is one of two MLS teams in the field, along with the Seattle Sounders who qualified by winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022.
CONCACAF has four spots in the Club World Cup, and they went to the winners of the last four Champions Cups. The field includes 12 European clubs, six South American, four from Africa, four from Asia, one from Oceania, and the one spot for the host country, which went to Inter Miami.
“When the situation arose that there would be an extra spot for an MLS team, we immediately thought we wanted to have the sporting merit to earn that spot,” said Inter Miami coach Tata Martino. “We value very much that our club, with such a short history, will be playing in the Club World Cup in just our fifth year in existence. It’s important not just for our club, but for the whole state of Florida.”
Among the other teams that had already qualified: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Flamengo, and Palmeiras.
Also in the field are Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad (Morocco), ES Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Ulsan HD FC (South Korea), Porto (Portugal), Benfica (Portugal), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Atletico Madrid (Spain), FC Salzburg (Austria), Club Leon (Mexico), Auckland City (New Zealand), Fluminense (Brazil), Monterrey and Pachuca (Mexico), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), and Al Ain (United Arab Emirates).
The draw will be held in December.
In addition to Hard Rock Stadium and Met Life Stadium other venues include Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle), and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).
This story was originally published October 19, 2024 at 8:20 PM.