1. It was not yet 9am, the sun was scorching at the Inter Miami sports center, but Mariana was still shivering on the sidewalk. After months of waiting and research, she got Lionel Messi to stop his car and sign her Argentina jersey.
“I’m shaking,” she said. Mariana had been here several times during her trips to Miami, where she worked remotely as a freelance graphic designer. She knew Messi usually arrived around 8:35 to 8:40, but that was no guarantee.
Sometimes he didn’t stop, sometimes he stopped by a group of fans a few meters away. “I almost knelt in the middle of the road…” , she admitted.
But that day, no one argued with her about Messi. On Friday morning (local time), the day before the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup, no one but Mariana was waiting for Messi – one of the most notable faces of the tournament.
The soccer industry’s newest tournament begins at Hard Rock Stadium (7 a.m. June 15, between Inter Miami and Ahly), in Miami-Dade County – the only place in the US where more than half of the population (54.3%) was born abroad.
2. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has once again declared the Club World Cup a “big bang” for global football. FIFA allocates 31 of the 32 spots to the tournament based on performance in continental competitions over the past few years. The remaining spot goes to a team from the host country.
Inter Miami didn't even win their domestic league. But FIFA rated them as having the most consistent season, winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters' Shield.
Most importantly, they have Messi – who has raised interest in soccer in the US since he joined in 2023, as the country prepares to host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.
“Everyone knows what Messi does,” Luis Suarez, Leo’s close friend on and off the pitch, said ahead of the opening day. “Everyone wants to see the best in the world .”
However, even Messi has not been able to create the miracle that Infantino expected. On the contrary, the first attraction is for the clubs and players.
FIFA has to find a way to avoid the image of thousands of empty seats at the opening match: the cheapest ticket in December was $349, now it is $55. Yet thousands of tickets are still unsold.
According to The Athletic, FIFA had to make an offer “hard to refuse” to the 100,000 students at Miami Dade College: tickets for just $4. A student could buy a ticket for $23 and was allowed to invite four others.
Not many group stage matches have attracted much attention. Real Madrid is the only one: the opening match on the 18th against Al Hilal, also at the Hard Rock, has the cheapest ticket at $225.
3. Clubs' interest is fuelled by huge bonuses. They make full use of the special transfer window from June 1-10.
Man City are the standouts with Cherki, Reijnders, Ait-Nouri and Bettinelli; Chelsea have Penders, Sarr, Essugo and Liam Delap. Real Madrid have Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold and new coach Xabi Alonso; Borussia Dortmund have bought Jobe Bellingham.
Not only clubs, but also players are excited about the tournament. Sergio Ramos moved to Mexico to participate in the tournament with Monterrey. James Rodriguez did the same but FIFA excluded Leon from the tournament because it shares ownership with Pachuca.
The list of participating teams reflects the diversity of global football rather than actual strength.
The most highly rated non-European team is Flamengo, who are 10th on the list of favorites. Finally, Auckland City of New Zealand, a team of amateur players – studying, working, and playing football.
On the contrary, Real Madrid, Atletico, Man City and PSG teams gather stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius, Julian Alvarez, Griezmann, Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and the most recent Ballon d'Or winner Rodri.
For the audience, the new tournament faces major obstacles due to its novelty and its launch in an already overloaded competition schedule.
FIFA has come up with a solution to reduce this barrier: global free-to-air broadcasts via the DAZN online platform, a major change from the traditional way of selling copyrights on a market-by-market basis.
At the same time, FIFA introduced a series of broadcasting innovations: referee body cameras, live public images and audio of the VAR room, improved semi-automatic offside technology with AI and in-ball sensors.
FIFA and Infantino did everything they could to turn the new “invention” into a “big bang”: more than $1 billion in prize money.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khai-mac-fifa-club-world-cup-2025-sieu-giai-dau-1-ty-usd-2411437.html
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