Lionel Messi's Inter Miami to play in 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opening match

As the excitement builds ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, teams are gearing up for what promises to be one of the most significant competitions in club soccer history. FIFA has confirmed that Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF will play the opening match of the tournament, which is set to begin in June 2025.

The draw for the tournament will take place next Thursday, December 5, in Miami. FIFA has announced that Inter Miami will face an opponent (yet to be determined) in the opening game of Group A at Hard Rock Stadium.

This decision was made after FIFA, citing “scheduling purposes,” chose to pre-assign the groups for the U.S.-based teams. Inter Miami has been placed in Group A, giving them the honor of kicking off the competition. Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders FC, the other MLS team, will be in Group B and will play their first match at Lumen Field in Seattle.

As a team in Pot 4, Messi’s Inter Miami will face a Pot 1 opponent in the opening match. Potential rivals include Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate, and Fluminense FC.

Restrictions for the draw

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the first to feature 32 teams, is set to take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025. The participating clubs have been divided into four pots, each containing eight teams. However, Thursday’s draw will be governed by several key restrictions.

A central rule states that no group can include more than one team from the same confederation, except for UEFA (Europe), which has eight representatives in Pot 2. Consequently, four of the eight groups will feature two European clubs.

Additionally, teams from the same member association cannot be drawn into the same group. Moreover, all teams from Pot 1 will be assigned the first position in their respective groups to ensure balanced scheduling.