Soccer fans in South Florida are already salivating at the prospect of the World Cup coming to the Hard Rock Stadium in 2026. But next month brings an appetizer that will be a feast all on its own: the FIFA Club World Cup.
While next year's World Cup will crown the best national soccer team in the world, this summer's competition — the inaugural edition of an expanded format — will assemble 32 top club sides from all corners of the globe, as they vie to become the world champion club team.
The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will host the opening game and another seven high-stakes matches, featuring iconic teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors — as well as South Florida's own Inter Miami.
READ MORE: Group stage draw for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup announced in Miami
And unlike the tame friendly games fans may have watched in the past in pre-season tours to the U.S. — which often don't even feature the clubs' best players — this time they will see these teams compete for a prestigious title.
“The level of intensity, and the players on the field, is different than maybe what they've seen over these friendly tours, preseason tours," Manolo Zubiria, FIFA's chief tournament officer, told WLRN.
"These players are playing for something much more meaningful. There's so much at stake — the honor to be called the world champion."
Over one month, venues across the U.S. will host 63 games featuring clubs from 20 countries and all six continents, including historied teams like Manchester City from England, Paris Saint-Germain from France and Italy's Inter Milan. The Hard Rock will host 6 group games and two elimination games in the Round of 16.
A new beginning amid U.S. momentum for the sport
The long-gestating competition is a relaunch of sorts. FIFA has organized different iterations of the tournament since 2000, featuring at the most seven teams, but this is the first time it will follow a similar format, size and cadence — every four years — to the beloved World Cup of nations.
For soccer fans in the U.S., and South Florida in particular, hosting the 'inaugural' competition will be another massive occasion in what is turning out to be quite a moment for fútbol.
The tournament comes on the back of the legendary Lionel Messi turning Inter Miami from a struggling start-up into one of the hottest teams on the planet, and ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be played across North America and will bring seven matches to Miami Gardens.
And with the Hard Rock Stadium hosting the opening game for this year's competition, featuring Inter Miami against African champions Al Ahly on June 14, all eyes will be on South Florida.
After chaotic scenes at last summer's Copa America final, when thousands of people forced their way into the Hard Rock and many fans were hurt, some questioned whether the venue could host major competitive events with passionate soccer fans.
Historically, South American fans have shown up in large numbers to back their teams in international club tournaments. As well as Argentina's Boca Juniors, which has a huge local expat following, Brazil's Palmeiras and Fluminense will also be playing here.
But Zubiria said he is confident the issues will not be repeated.
“ We take safety and security as the number one priority in any FIFA competition. And obviously the unfortunate episodes that were witnessed here around that final, it's something that we have also observed and obviously discussed at length with not only the stadium, but the authorities," he said.
"And you can expect that for this competition, there will be a lot of security, not only for the players obviously, but for the fans."
Inter Miami against the best in the world
For Inter Miami and its fans, it's a mouth-watering chance to pit themselves against the best teams in the world just a few years into the club's existence.
The team, co-founded by retired superstar David Beckham in 2018, currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference, but has found great success in the Messi era, lifting the 2023 Leagues Cup and taking the 2024 Supporters' Shield for the most points in the MLS regular season.
But their very presence in the tournament has been controversial.
They were handed a slot to represent the host nation for that 2024 regular season points win. Critics have suggested that choice by FIFA — rather than picking the winners of the MLS Cup, which crowns the season's ultimate champion — may have been due to the international appeal of having Lionel Messi in the tournament's all-important first edition.
Inter's managing owner Jorge Mas has said there was "no controversy... Especially on the heels of winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and then the Supporters' Shield and setting the league record for most points."
On awarding the spot to Inter Miami, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the team had been "consistently the best club on the field of play" — and "one of the best clubs in the world."
They will certainly have a chance to prove that at the Club World Cup.
Inter was drawn in Group A, with Brazil's Palmeiras and Portugal's Porto, as well as Al Ahly — avoiding any of the European giants. After all teams play each other, the two with the most points will qualify for the elimination rounds that culminate in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, on July 13.
"It's an exciting group for us," Mas said after the group draw. "We are going to battle to get out of the group, to advance in the tournament, to compete, to show what Major League Soccer is capable of. To show what football in this country is capable of. So, looking forward to the challenge."
Either way, FIFA's Zubiria hopes soccer's momentum will help create a true legacy for a sport that has struggled to put down roots locally despite the passion of South Florida's Latino communities.
"To have the opportunity to play the two biggest and best FIFA World Cups in back-to-back years, I think says a lot for how the sport has been doing and growing — constantly growing in this country — and what's the legacy that it will leave for the casual fans, or the children that will get to see for the first time perhaps some of these players playing live so close to home."
FIFA Club World Cup schedule for South Florida
The Hard Rock Stadium will host the following FIFA Club World Cup matches:
- June 14: Al Ahly FC (Egypt) v Inter Miami CF
- June 16: CA Boca Juniors (Argentina) v SL Benfica (Portugal)
- June 20: FC Bayern München (Spain) v CA Boca Juniors (Argentina)
- June 23: Inter Miami CF v SE Palmeiras (Brazil)
- June 25: Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) v Fluminense FC (Brazil)
- June 29: Group D winners v Group C runners-up
- July 1: Group H winners v Group G runners-up
More information on the tournament, including tickets and full match schedule, can be found on the FIFA Club World Cup website.
