Soccer fans, get ready! A huge match is coming in the FIFA Club World Cup—Lionel Messi and his team, Inter Miami, will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the last 16 of the tournament. This will be a special game, because Messi used to play for PSG before joining Miami. Now, he’s getting ready to play against his old team!

Let’s break down what’s been happening in the Club World Cup and why this matchup is such a big deal.
Lionel Messi
What Is the FIFA Club World Cup?
The FIFA Club World Cup is a global tournament where the best club teams from every continent compete. The winners from Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania all take part, along with a few other top-performing teams. It’s kind of like the World Cup, but instead of national teams, clubs like PSG, Inter Miami, and Bayern Munich compete to be the best in the world.
Lionel Messi
Inter Miami’s Journey So Far
Inter Miami is a team from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. They surprised everyone by making it through the group stage. In their last group game, they played against Brazilian team Palmeiras and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. That result helped Miami finish second in Group A, just behind Palmeiras.
Miami started strong in the match. They were up 2-0 with goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez—yes, the same Suarez who used to play with Messi at Barcelona. But in the last 10 minutes, Palmeiras scored two quick goals, thanks to Paulinho and Mauricio, tying the game and claiming the top spot in the group.
Still, Miami’s second-place finish was good enough to send them to the knockout stage. And guess who they’ll meet? Yep—PSG, one of the strongest teams in the world.
Lionel Messi
Messi’s Big Reunion
This match means Messi will face PSG, the club he played for before moving to Miami. Messi is not the only one with a connection to PSG. Inter Miami also has other stars like Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets—all of whom played with Messi at FC Barcelona. And their coach, Javier Mascherano, also played with them in Spain.
The reunion gets even more interesting because PSG’s coach is Luis Enrique, who coached all of these players when Barcelona won the famous treble (three major trophies in one season) in 2015. So this match feels like a family reunion—with a lot of competition!
Here’s what Jordi Alba said before the match:
“We know PSG is a great team—they’re the champions of Europe! But we also know them well. Luis Enrique was our coach, and I always say he’s the best in the world. We’ll compete hard. This is football—anything can happen!”
Lionel Messi
What Else Happened in the Group Stage?
While Inter Miami and Palmeiras advanced from Group A, another interesting situation happened in Group B.
Botafogo, another Brazilian team, moved on despite losing their final group match 1-0 to Atletico Madrid. Even though Atletico won, they still finished third and didn’t make it to the knockout round. Why? Because Botafogo had better goal difference (how many more goals they scored than they allowed overall).
Atletico’s only goal in that match was scored by Antoine Griezmann in the 87th minute. It gave them hope, but it wasn’t enough. Coach Diego Simeone said:
“We’re frustrated. We had six points, but it still wasn’t enough.”
His son, Giuliano Simeone, who also plays for the team, was upset too. He said they should have been awarded two penalties that the referee didn’t give.
Lionel Messi
🇫🇷 PSG Bounces Back
PSG, the European champions, had a great final group stage match. After losing to Botafogo earlier, they beat the Seattle Sounders from the U.S. with a 2-0 win in Seattle.
Goals came from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi, one in each half. Coach Luis Enrique said it wasn’t easy:
“The field was different from what we’re used to in Europe, so it was hard to play our usual passing game. But we adjusted and got the win.”
One interesting thing—Ousmane Dembele, one of PSG’s best players, hasn’t played yet in this tournament because he’s still recovering from an injury.
Lionel Messi
🇵🇹 What About Porto and Al Ahly?
In Group A, Portuguese side Porto and Egypt’s Al Ahly played one of the wildest games of the tournament so far—a 4-4 draw! That’s a lot of goals in one match. But sadly for both teams, the draw wasn’t enough. They didn’t get enough points to advance, and both were eliminated.
What’s Next?
Here’s a look at the exciting matches coming up:
Inter Miami vs PSG – Messi vs his old club!
Botafogo vs Palmeiras – All-Brazilian showdown!
Bayern Munich vs Benfica – Two European giants clash.
Boca Juniors vs Auckland City – Auckland is already eliminated, so Boca hopes to finish strong.
Chelsea vs Esperance Tunis – The winner goes to the next round with Flamengo, who plays LAFC from the U.S.
Cool Soccer Facts!
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or (Best Player in the World) 8 times!
Inter Miami is one of the youngest clubs in MLS—it was founded in 2018.
Luis Suarez and Messi played together at Barcelona and won many trophies.
PSG is based in Paris, France, and has become one of the richest clubs in the world.
The Club World Cup was first held in 2000, and teams from Europe and South America have won every edition so far.
Final Thoughts
The upcoming match between Inter Miami and PSG isn’t just about winning—it’s about friendship, history, and the love of soccer. Messi and his Miami teammates have already made history by reaching the final 16. Now, they get to show the world what MLS is made of by facing one of the best teams in Europe.
No matter who wins, this will be a match to remember!