MLS is considering two options to award the host country’s 2025 Club World Cup spot.
There are now 30 of the 32 confirmed participants for the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. The competition to which FIFA is putting all its possible efforts (in planning, logistics and commercial agreements) to transform it into the ultimate obsession for all the teams on the planet (just like the national teams and the World Cup).
The 12 representatives from UEFA (Europe), the 4 from Concacaf (Caribbean, Central and North America), the 4 from CAF (Africa), the 4 from AFC (Asia), the cast from OFC (Oceania) and 5 of 6 from Conmebol (South America) are already here.
One of the places that still remain to be defined will come from the 2024 Copa Libertadores (if the winner is one of those that has already qualified, the quota will be at the mercy of the points table. Otherwise, the new South American champion will go) and the other will come from what the MLS decides with the place it was awarded for being the most important federation in the host country.
In this regard, the North American entity is considering two alternatives to provide the opportunity to be part of the first Club World Cup with 32 competitors. The first is to give it to the current league champion and the other is to play a final between the MLS champion and the winner of the US Open Cup.
Therefore, there is still a concrete chance that Inter Miami will be the one to get that spot to be in the tournament that will take place between June 15 and July 13 of next year. Lionel Messi’s team is first in the Eastern Conference standings with 56 points, so it is advancing without problems to the Play Off (which will start in October).
The MLS will have to resolve this issue in the coming weeks, as the climax of both tournaments is approaching. In addition, FIFA plans to conduct the draw for each of the eight groups between the end of December and the beginning of January with 100 percent of the qualified teams.
The 30 teams that qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup
UEFA: Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid , Atlético de Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus, Benfica, Porto, PSG and RB Salzburg.
Conmebol: Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, River and Boca .
Concacaf: Seattle Sounders, Rayados de Monterrey , Club León and Pachuca.
AFC: Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea.
OFC: Auckland City of New Zealand.
CAF: Al Ahly from Egypt, Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, Mamelody from South Africa and Espérance from Tunisia.
When will Lionel Messi play again for Inter Miami?
Lionel Messi has not yet been able to make a comeback from the sprain he suffered in the Copa America Final in the United States on July 14. Gerardo Martino, after Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Cincinnati, clarified that the Flea is already training with the ball, but that it will take him a while to regain his physical confidence. “I can’t specify dates, but he is in the final stage of his recovery.”
