Club World Cup updates: Messi magic as Inter Miami stun Porto


Jun 19, 2025, 05:18 PM ET

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running, and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.

We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition, so check back regularly for the latest news as we follow the fun leading up to the tournament final at MetLife Stadium on July 13.

The lead: Messi brilliant as Inter Miami collect a famous win over Porto

ATLANTA, Ga. — The familiar “Messi, Messi, Messi” chants echoed throughout Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Lionel Messi set up the ball just outside the box for a free kick in the 54th minute of the match. Fans sang in unison, briefly stopping when the Inter Miami captain began taking the necessary steps forward toward the ball. Silence took hold in the stands before crowds erupted into cheers and the ball found the back of the net to mark Messi’s 68th career direct free kick for club and country.

His remarkable set-piece goal gave Inter Miami a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t give up as the Major League Soccer side completed a famous victory over FC Porto to fully ignite their Club World Cup campaign.

It was a game of firsts for Inter Miami: it was their first in the 2025 Club World Cup after failing to score in the inaugural match against Al Ahly, and having conceded an early penalty by Porto in the first half. It was also, more broadly, the first win by a Concacaf team over a European team in FIFA international club competitions, the confederation going a dismal 0-3-10 (W-D-L) prior to Thursday’s clash in Atlanta.

The free kick was also Messi’s 50th goal for Inter Miami in 61 games, reaching the half-century faster than he did for Barcelona (119 appearances) or the Argentina national team (107 appearances).

In the lead-up to the Club World Cup, many wondered if Messi and the other former Barcelona veterans (Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez) could live up to the pressure and level of European clubs as they once did in LaLiga. Messi even admitted to having different expectations of this tournament than he did when competing in the earlier editions of the Club World Cup with Barcelona.

“Having the chance to be part of it is exciting,” said Messi to FIFA. “The expectations I have are different to the ones I had when I played for other teams, but I’m eager and I look forward to competing against the best [teams] and doing well.”

But the Argentine forward, even at 37, showed signs of his classic self in the second half against Porto, weaving through defenders and reading the game perfectly in helping Miami to victory. His brilliant finish came barely seven minutes after Telasco Segovia (who was impressive in midfield) had leveled for Miami in a bright start to the second half, rifling a first-time finish into the top corner from Marcelo Weigandt‘s low right-wing cross.

The win gives Inter Miami every chance of advancing to the knockout round of the competition, the indicator of success set up by head coach Javier Mascherano and co-owner Jorge Mas. In that push, Messi continues to be the driving force for Inter Miami’s success in any competition, the team clearly leaning on his magic whenever possible.

There continues to be no stage too big or small for Messi to shine on, regardless of the color or badge on his jersey.

Today’s top Club World Cup news

• Mbappe hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis
• Man City’s Soriano: Club ‘accelerated’ squad overhaul
• Chelsea‘s Palmer wanted No.10. shirt to emulate Messi

Sights and sounds around FIFA Club World Cup

The heat is on for fans as well as players

MIAMI, Fla. — You’ve paid hundreds of dollars for tickets, and you’re excited to finally be able to take your family to watch the club you support play a competitive match, against a top team, at home in the United States. But the game is kicking off at midday in June at the storied Rose Bowl in Pasadena, a stadium where there’s famously no roof to protect the crowd from the sun.

A number of fans who attended Sunday’s game between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have spoken out about the conditions they experienced there, complaining about the heat, long queues for refreshments, and limited access to water.

“It was uncomfortable,” Jonathan Nettler, who attended the game with his wife and twin sons, aged 12, tells ESPN. “It definitely lessened the experience. My wife and boys had to leave the bowl several times during the game to find shade and get a respite. But we survived.”

A reported 80,619 fans attended the match, the highest attendance at the Club World Cup so far. Players and both coaches criticised the 12 p.m. local kickoff time, with PSG’s Luis Enrique saying the game was “clearly impacted” by the heat.

“We spent most of the second half on a crusade for sunscreen, food and souvenirs,” Nettler tells ESPN. “We didn’t have problems getting drinks. But my wife stepped out of a food line, to help an older woman who felt faint. And she said she saw two instances of kids on stretchers, being assisted by medical services.”

Despite all that, Nettler and his family are back at the Rose Bowl on Thursday for PSG v Botafogo. “We’re hoping we’ll be able to enjoy the game more, as they’re predicting lower temperatures, and the game starts at 6 p.m.,” he says. “It’s not a surprise that summer in the U.S. is hot. I’m sure the teams that tour here annually are familiar with it. But the midday start times are unusual, and extra-challenging.”

A FIFA spokesperson told ESPN that “FIFA’s top priority is the health of everyone involved in football,” saying the organisation had “deployed venue medical officers, who work in close cooperation with the local medical authorities to address key health matters, including heat management.” Fans were able to bring empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles into venues, the spokesperson said, and FIFA would “continue to monitor the weather conditions… to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.” — Alex Kirkland

Palmeiras shrug off weather issues to beat Al Ahly

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — After a slow start, Palmeiras took off in the second half and beat Al Ahly 2-0 at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey, in the group A second round of the FIFA Club World Cup. The crowd was again a talking point — 35,179 fans were present, according to the officials — even though the stadium, which will be one of the venues for the 2026 World Cup, has 85,500 seats, but the game still provided plenty to unpack for both sides.

The Brazilian team took a “heat” from the Egyptians (and the thermometer, with temperatures in the high 80s with intense humidity) in the first half. After the break, however, coach Abel Ferreira made some smart changes, with substitute striker Flaco López ultimately deciding the game.

On an afternoon that saw the match was interrupted for 45 minutes due to a “severe weather alert” in the area, it was Flaco who made the difference. First, he disrupted Ahly’s defense during a set piece and pressured center forward Abou Ali score an own goal, opening the scoring. Shortly after, López received a perfect assist from Maurício in a deadly counterattack and scored one of his own to settle the encounter.

After the final whistle, we got a strange scene on the sideline as coach Abel Ferreira took off his shirt and gifted it to a Palmeiras fan in the stands. — Francisco De Laurentiis, ESPN Brazil

Foden enjoying himself in Florida

BOCA RATON, Fla. — One of the quirks of these global FIFA tournaments is players being asked questions they never would usually.

After his man-of-the-match performance in Man City’s 2-0 win over Wydad AC on Wednesday, Phil Foden was excitedly asked by one reporter for his thoughts on Brazilian football. Foden laughed and threw it back to the reporter. “What do you think of Brazilian football?” was his tongue-in-cheek response, before complimenting the “flair” of South American teams.

Foden cut a dejected figure when he talked to reporters at Wembley in May after the FA Cup final, but he looked far more comfortable and content in the mixed zone at Lincoln Financial Field. After training back in Florida on Thursday morning, the England midfielder was all smiles as he posed for a picture sitting on a Boca Raton police motorcycle. It appears that the decision to take a break rather than play in England’s June internationals has done him good. — Rob Dawson

The reason Palmer wears a mask

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — Cole Palmer is a man of few words, but those words are usually compelling.

Speaking to reporters at Philadelphia Union‘s Subaru Park on Thursday — where Chelsea are training for the next week — the 23-year-old ended a mystery that had sent social media into a frenzy ever since the Blues arrived in the United States.

Palmer was pictured getting off the plane in Atlanta with a mask. Why was he wearing it? Was he ill? Was he protecting himself from a possible Covid outbreak? Blues boss Enzo Maresca thought he may have even been doing it as a joke. Finally, Palmer told the world on Thursday, and the answer was classic Cole.

“It wasn’t a joke: I just don’t like the smelly planes,” said Palmer. “That’s why I wear a mask. When I travel, I don’t like the smells so that’s why I wear them. It’s stuff like that, nothing else. [Maresca] doesn’t know: I didn’t tell him, but he didn’t ask me to be fair.”

And so there you have it. Palmer will be grateful, therefore, that Chelsea’s final two Group D games are in Philadelphia without the need for additional travel. Lord help him, however, when the knockout rounds begin: if Chelsea win Group D, their tournament path would run through Miami and Atlanta en route to East Rutherford; if they finish second, they’d face a round of 16 game in Charlotte before heading north once more. — James Olley

Star player of the day

To be named later

Pick to follow … — Roberto Rojas

Match previews, odds for Friday

Benfica vs. Auckland City FC (Group C; East Rutherford, NJ, Noon ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Benfica (N/A), Draw (+3800), Auckland City FC (+10000)

Preview to follow…

Flamengo vs. Chelsea (Group D; Philadelphia, Penn., 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Flamengo (+280), Draw (+250), Chelsea (-110)

The top two sides in Group D face off in Philadelphia for a match that will, in all likelihood, decide who finishes in top spot. Flamengo and Chelsea meet in a competitive game for the first time — their previous meeting in a friendly was 27 years ago — but there are more recent links between the clubs.

Flamengo are managed by Filipe Luis, who made 26 appearances for Chelsea in 2014-15, while Jorginho signed for the Brazilian club this summer after leaving Stamford Bridge for Arsenal in 2023. Chelsea beat LAFC in a sparsely-populated stadium in Atlanta, but more than 50,000 fans are expected in Philly this time. — Olley

LAFC vs. Esperance de Tunis (Group D; Nashville, Tenn., 6 p.m. ET)

Odds: LAFC (-115), Draw (+240), Esperance de Tunis (+340)

Preview to follow…

Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors (Group C; Miami, Fla., 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: Bayern Munich (-550), Draw (+550), Boca Juniors (+950)

Preview to follow…





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