Inter Miami and Lionel Messi no match for European teams at Club World Cup? FIFA World Cup winner weighs in — And it’s bad news

Inter Miami got a surprise invite to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, where the Florida-based club would face some of the biggest names in global soccer. But with the tournament just weeks away, optimism is starting to fade. Club legends and World Cup winners are beginning to sound the alarm.

When Lionel Messi brought his legacy—and global brand—to Inter Miami, expectations skyrocketed. With Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez by his side, Miami’s star-studded lineup suddenly seemed like a team ready for international competition. The cherry on top? A surprise invite to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, where the Florida-based club would face some of the biggest names in global soccer.

But with the tournament just weeks away, optimism is starting to fade. Club legends and World Cup winners are beginning to sound the alarm. Inter Miami may boast talent, yes—but whether they can compete against Europe’s elite is another matter entirely.

The first crack in the pink armor came from Sergio Busquets, a man who has won everything there is to win in soccer. Speaking candidly at the F1 Grand Prix in Miami, the Spanish midfielder admitted that the task ahead may be beyond this Miami side.

“It’s clear that we’re not at the level to compete in the Club World Cup,” Busquets told DAZN. “But we’ll try to compete in the group, take it game by game, fight, and hopefully move on to the next round, although it’s going to be tough.”

Placed in Group A alongside Al Ahly, Palmeiras, and FC Porto, Miami’s path to the knockout rounds already looks treacherous. And this frank assessment came just days after the team’s disastrous exit from the CONCACAF Champions semifinals against the Vancouver Whitecaps—despite a recent MLS victory over New York Red Bulls. But perhaps the most sobering evaluation came from a man who’s watched elite soccer from the top for decades.

What did Lothar Matthaus say?

Lothar Matthaus, Germany’s 1990 World Cup-winning captain and Bayern Munich legend, didn’t mince words in a recent interview. He praised Messi’s transformative impact on U.S. soccer, but made it clear that Inter Miami is unlikely to go the distance.

“Inter Miami will make a run, but I don’t think they can go to the final because the European teams and some teams from South America are stronger and better than the teams from Major League Soccer,” he told reporters via Zoom (Miami Herald).

With Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter, River Plate, and others in the draw, Matthaus predicts the usual suspects will dominate: “I have a feeling four European teams will go to the semifinal.”

The 64-year-old added that the Club World Cup is no friendly summer tournament. With a $125 million prize pot, clubs have serious incentives: “They will play with their best 11. Everybody knows there’s a lot of money at stake… and the money is talking in soccer.”