Messi's Inter Miami draw 'accessible' group in FIFA Club World Cup, Seattle Sounders in 'group of death'

Inter Miami CF‘s group stage opponents for the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup have been revealed following the draw in Miami. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and the rest of the team now know the challenges that await them in the inaugural 32-team tournament.

The new format features eight groups of four teams. Due to organizational considerations, Inter Miami’s group (A) and Seattle Sounders’ group (B) were pre-determined.

Inter Miami, as the host club, will play the opening match at Hard Rock Stadium on June 15th. Their group stage opponents are Al Ahly (Egypt), FC Porto (Portugal), and Palmeiras (Brazil).

Seattle Sounders’ Group B features Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, alongside the reigning Botafogo Copa Libertadores champion. The match schedules and venues for all matches will be announced shortly.

If Inter Miami tops its group, it would face the second-place team from Group B in the Round of 16. A second-place finish would pit them against the Group B winner. Potential opponents include: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid or Seattle.

Controversy surrounding the expanded tournament

The expanded 32-team Club World Cup, championed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has faced significant criticism, particularly from European football leagues and the FIFPro players’ union. Concerns center on the already congested global football calendar. In October, major European leagues and FIFPro filed a joint complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of abusing its position in managing the international calendar.

The tournament, originally planned for June 17th to July 4th, 2021, was postponed due to COVID-19’s impact on football, and subsequently rescheduled for the summer of 2025. The pandemic led to the cancellation of the expanded format in 2021. The traditional seven-team format was held instead in the UAE (2021), Morocco (2022), and Saudi Arabia (2023). Manchester City are the reigning champions.

Tournament format

The 2025 tournament features eight groups of four teams, with a maximum of one team per confederation per group (except UEFA, which has two teams in four groups). The top two teams from each group advance to a knockout stage. Matches will not include extra time; ties will be decided by penalty shootouts. There will be no third-place match.

All groups of FIFA Club World Cup

Grupo A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Grupo B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders.

Grupo C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniros, Benfica.

Grupo D: Flamengo, Espérance Tunisie, Chelsea, Club León.

Grupo E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamons, Monterrey, Internazionale Milano.

Grupo F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsain HD, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Grupo G: Manchester City, Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain, Juventus.

Grupo H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg.