SOCCER
How have Inter Miami qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup?
For the second year in a row Lionel Messi will be taking part in the continental competition. Which other MLS teams have booked their place?
Inter Miami are closing in on the Supporters’ Shield and can clinch the trophy within the next week if results go their way. Recent draws against New York City FC and Philadelphia Union may have blunted their charge for a record points tally but the Herons have reached another milestone.
After their incredible form through the summer months Inter Miami have officially booked their place in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The annual competition draws brings together the best club sides from Northern and Central America.
Inter Miami qualify for the competition on the basis that they are now guaranteed to finish within the top four of Supporters’ Shield standings. Columbus Crew, LAFC, Colorado Rapids, Sporting Kansas City and the Vancouver Whitecaps have also booked their places after progressing deep in MLS’ cup competitions this year.
There’s still another four spots up for grabs for MLS teams to secure a spot. Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy and FC Cincinnati look likely to confirm qualification in the coming weeks.
Will Inter Miami play in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025?
Club soccer will see a major shift in 2025 with the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup, the most ambitious club competition introduced. The tournament will feature 32 teams from all six FIFA confederations, competing in a month-long summer tournament in the United States.
FIFA have heralded the tournament as an exciting new development in club soccer but it comes at a time when top players are complaining about excess workload, with the game’s fixture calendar becoming increasingly packed. In fact, president Gianni Infantino was forced to call an emergency meeting earlier this month to discuss issues relating to the broadcast agreements.
Inter Miami have not yet booked a place in the 2025 Club World Cup. Qualification is offered to teams who won the continental cup competition in each of the past four years (2021-2024). As it stands, Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Leon and Pachuca are the four CONCACAF representatives for the tournament.
However there is still hope for Inter Miami, and all other MLS teams. CONCACAF has one additional spot as ‘host country’ for the tournament, although the details of that have not yet been confirmed. The FIFA website states that “host country slot allocation details will be communicated in due course,” leaving the possibility open for the Herons to sneak into the final place.