Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States.
When: Saturday, June 14 –exact kick-off time depends on geographical zone.
The rebranded and expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off today, June 14, and the organisers have picked a plum tie to launch the 32-team tournament.
Inter Miami and their star name, Lionel Messi, take on the most successful side in world football – Egyptian giants Al Ahly — who have won a total of 155 trophies of different types.
Miami finished as the club with the most points in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season, handing them a place at the Club World Cup instead of LA Galaxy, who won the MLS Cup, which is regarded as the highest prize in the MLS.
FIFA announced Miami’s addition to the Club World Cup in October after they broke MLS’s regular-season points record with a 6-2 win over New England Revolution to reach 74 points – one better than the previous record set by New England in 2021.
Al Ahly were crowned CAF (Confederation of Africa Football) Champions League winners two seasons ago to qualify for this tournament.
They were, however, dethroned as Africa’s continental kings last season, leading to the departure of the coach, Marcel Koller, following their loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the semifinals of CAF’s showpiece.
Jose Riveiro, who coached Orlando Pirates of South Africa last season, has been appointed as the new coach, and Inter Miami will mark his first game in charge.
Much of Miami’s chances rest on Messi’s shoulders, with Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and others as support.
“He’s in good shape this season. There were moments when we had to give him some time to rest, but he’s played the last 15 games, except for the match against Dallas when we rested the entire squad,” said Inter manager Javier Mascherano, Messi’s teammate in FC Barcelona back in the day.
“We were also fortunate he was able to rest during Argentina’s last two games,” he added, referring to Messi playing 111 minutes in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia earlier this month.
“It’s our responsibility to create the right environment for him to shine.”
Al Ahly have won an astonishing 155 trophies, including their 45th league title this season.
That is balanced against Real Madrid’s 15 UEFA Champions League titles in the world’s premier club competition, along with the Spanish giants claiming the La Liga title on 36 occasions.
Today’s matchup is a first meeting between the sides as the Concacaf representatives come face-to-face with the CAF kings.
Inter Miami Team News
Coach Mascherano has been forced to re-shuffle his backline due to a string of injuries.
Fullback Jordi Alba, fellow defender Gonzalo Lujan and defensive midfielder Yannick Bright have all been ruled out of the Group A clash.
“Hopefully they will be available for the second game,” Mascherano told a news conference on Friday.
Alba, one of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates, is sidelined with a hamstring issue. There were also concerns regarding the fitness of centre-back David Martinez.
“David had some kind of pain yesterday, and we did not want to take any risks,” said Mascherano.
“The reality is that throughout the season, the team have dealt with injuries, but the players who stepped in rose to the challenge. That gives us peace of mind,” he said.
Al Ahly Team News
The Egyptian side have been in the U.S for two weeks and have already played a warm-up match against fellow Club World Cup participants Pachuca. The Mexican club won 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Riveiro has a fully fit squad to choose from, which is spearheaded by former Aston Villa forward Mahmoud Trezeguet.
How Much Does Winner Of Club World Cup Receive?
The total prize pot is $1 billion, with the champions earning up to $125 million.
About half of the $1 billion will be divided between the 32 clubs, with the amount per club based on sporting and commercial criteria.
