Unbeaten Inter Miami To Face PSG In CWC Knockouts

• Inter Miami finish second in Group A after 2–2 draw with Palmeiras
• Messi’s side to face Paris Saint-Germain in round of 16
• Alba and Suárez praise PSG, call matchup a tough test

Inter Miami have advanced to the round of 16 in the 2025 Club World Cup after drawing 2-2 with Palmeiras, finishing second in Group A with an unbeaten record.

The result means Miami, the only Major League Soccer team to reach the knockout phase, will face European champions Paris Saint-Germain — Lionel Messi’s former club — on Sunday, June 29 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Left-back Jordi Alba described PSG as “the current best in the entire world” and expressed pride in his team’s performance. “I’m proud of the team and now we’re competing against a top team like PSG. It’s great, for me they’re playing the best football in Europe, and well, it’s obviously a very difficult match, but we’re going to try to compete,” he said.

“Why not dream of beating the European champion? It will be very difficult. We know the quality of all the players, and for me, Luis Enrique is the best coach in the world. I know him very well,” Alba added.

“This is football, and it’s 90-something minutes, and well, why not dream?… They’re [PSG] the ones who play the best football today. They’re very versatile, with very good wide players, and guys in midfield who have the ball. Overall, they’re the most complete team for me. We’ll see how far we can go and try to compete.”

Inter Miami had taken a 2–0 lead through Tadeo Allende in the first half and Luis Suárez in the 65th minute, nearly sealing top spot in the group. But two late goals from Palmeiras denied them a win, sending them into a tougher matchup in the next round.

“We had it all there. For a moment, we already saw ourselves playing against Botafogo, but football is like this: you lose focus for 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and you pay dearly for it,” Suárez said after the match.

“We know it’s going to be very difficult, very complicated, but we have the tools we need to compete.”

The match will mark Messi’s first time playing against PSG since leaving the French side in 2023 to join Inter Miami. It also reunites Messi, Suárez, Alba, and Sergio Busquets with their former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, now at the helm of PSG.

“But for me, he’s the best,” Alba said. “I think not only as a coach but also as a team manager. For me, they’re phenomenal. I’m also looking forward to seeing Rafel Pol, Joaquín Valdés, all their staff, and the players who play with them at Barcelona, and sharing them well. It’s 90 minutes, and well, I think we should be proud of how we’ve competed in these three games. Now, let’s compete against PSG.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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