Inter Miami defeated Columbus Crew with a brace from Lionel Messi on Wednesday night (Oct. 2) to mathematically clinched the Supporters’ Shield, as the team with most points during the MLS regular season. With this triumph, Messi and The Herons could win a place in the upcoming 2025 Club World Cup, which will be held by the United States.
30 out of 32 teams have already been confirmed for the tournament. The two remaining spots will be determined by the winner of the 2024 Copa Libertadores (in case the winner if already qualified, it will be determined based on the points table), and the other one will be a club from the host country.
However, the MLS is considering two options to award the spot: it will be either for the Supporters’ Shield winner (in this case, Miami) or the winner of the MLS Cup. If Miami indeed earn the spot, Messi could win his fourth Club World Cup title, after he clinched three with Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015).
The MLS hasn’t confirmed their plans but, according to reports, it would be determined in the upcoming weeks. Meanwhile, there is already one MLS team confirmed to participate in the tournament: the Seattle Sounders, who will be competing after their 2022 historic win in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The 12 teams from UEFA (Europe), 4 from CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central, and North America), 4 from CAF (Africa), 4 from AFC (Asia), the team from OFC (Oceania), and 5 out of 6 from CONMEBOL (South America) are already confirmed.
2025 Club World Cup debuts a new format
The 2025 Club World Cup will feature a new tournament format, beginning with a group stage consisting of eight groups of four teams each, competing in a single-game round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16, where the competition transitions to a single-match knockout stage that continues through to the final.
What are the 30 teams already qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup?
UEFA: Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Inter de Milan, Juventus, Benfica, Porto, PSG and RB Salzburg.
Conmebol: Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, River Plate and Boca Juniors.
Concacaf: Seattle Sounders, Rayados de Monterrey, Club Leon and Pachuca.
AFC: Al Hilal, Al Ain, Urawa Red Diamonds and Ulsan Hyundai.
OFC: Auckland City.
CAF: Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Mamelody and Espérance.
