FIFA Club World Cup R16 Preview: Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Miami

Just 29 days after thrashing Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final, Paris Saint-Germain will suit up once more to face Inter…Miami?

According to Football Database rankings, it’s the #1 team in the world vs #451. Frankly, it’s a ridiculous matchup. The perennial Parisian powerhouse, whose champagne-soaked celebrations in Munich have barely yet dried, will schlep from Seattle to Atlanta to face a mid-table Major League Soccer side led by their former star, Lionel Messi.

1. Uncomfortable reunion for Messi

Despite taking two Ligue 1 titles back to Paris and racking up 66 goal involvements in 74 appearances, the GOAT’s time at Paris Saint-German is shoved to the back of the brain by even his staunchest of stans. For any player not named Lionel Messi, that sort of output over two years would serve as the capstone of an incredible career. Instead, Messi’s time at PSG was defined by its dysfunction.

The pairing was doomed from the start, fueled more by PSG’s bloodlust for big names – and Barcelona’s inability to balance their books – than a true willingness from Messi to represent the French side in the first place. Messi’s signature Adidas boots may have been gliding around the Parc des Princes, but his heart was still firmly beating in Catalonia. 

PSG’s notoriously passionate ultras sniffed out that disconnect, showering the Argentine with a cascade of boos by the end of his tenure that he never would’ve heard in Barcelona — no one would’ve dared.

Now, surrounded by a much friendlier environment and a few old friends, you have to wonder if Messi can still hear those boos rattling around his eardrums. And if, despite carrying a knock, that could motivate the type of magic moment that only Messi can conjure.

2. New era for PSG

But the PSG that Messi fled for the sandy shores of Miami (correction: Ft Lauderdale) is not the PSG he’ll be facing on Sunday.

The new-look PSG to a Ligue 1 title again this year, winning the French league by 19 points. But that’s nothing new for them. Instead, it was their performance in the Champions League that truly cemented the legacy of this particular squad. Finally, PSG lifted Europe’s most coveted club trophy for the first time in club history.

Gone are the days of randomly-assorted Galacticos lacking tactical identity — this PSG side just works. If the PSG of old were a rock supergroup comprised entirely of egotistical lead guitarists, Luis Enrique’s 2025 remastered edition is a perfectly balanced orchestra.

It stars in the midfield, where the beautifully fluid football Enrique conjured with the Spanish national team and FC Barcelona is once again built on Iberian talent: João Neves, Fabian Ruiz, and Vitinha form a midfield trio capable of picking apart any side in possession that feeds a front line practically overflowing with quality.

Those attackers include Ousmane Dembele, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. It’s borderline tragic that one of those four names has to be dropped from the front three on any given matchday, but that’ll be Enrique’s enviable problem to solve on Sunday.

It’s no exaggeration to say this PSG side is one of the best we’ve seen in a long, long time.

3. The pink half of the equation

Inter Miami, on the other hand, is having a strange year.

They started hot in MLS play before seeing their form fall off a cliff upon their exit from the Concacaf Champions Cup. They were able to steady the ship as the FIFA Club World Cup approached, but they entered the tournament down in 6th Place of the Eastern Conference — a far cry from the record-setting, Supporters’ Shield-winning pace of last year.

Perhaps the biggest change from 2024 to 2025 is in the technical area, where the decorated Tata Martino parted ways for another one of Messi’s old Barca boys in Javier Mascherano, whose prior coaching experience was only found at Argentina’s youth ranks.

Whether it was the coaching change, or the extra year of running on some older legs, they’ve looked weak defensively all season, conceding massive chances to practically every side they face, regardless of their level. Their moments of attacking brilliance, led largely by Messi and Luis Suarez, have repeatedly bailed them out in close MLS matches.

But the CWC version of Inter Miami has looked…different. With the bright lights and huge Hard Rock crowds beaming down on them, Miami is taking its game to new heights against some tough competition.

They went unbeaten in the group stage, taking home a massive three points against Portuguese giants FC Porto, while drawing Egyptian and Brazilian behemoths in Al Ahly SC and Palmeiras. If not for some nervy final moments in the group’s closing match, they could’ve (should’ve) found themselves champions of Group A. 

4. Financial mismatch

Inter Miami will consider themselves the favorite in the vast majority of the matches they play. With a much higher payroll than any other side in MLS, and with the greatest player to ever touch a soccer ball floating around in attack, Miami possesses a distinct advantage over any of its American counterparts.

Clearly, Jorge Mas and David Beckham have some money to throw around. But PSG money? That’s just a different ballgame.

As of last season, PSG’s wage bill hovered around $770m, standing roughly 16x higher than Inter Miami’s guaranteed compensation total of about $47m. Laughably, that wage bill would be greater than all 30 MLS teams combined, whose goofy, theoretical squad of about 900 players would amount to just $742m.

So yes, both of these teams wear the “super team” crown of their respective leagues, but it’s hardly a fair fight when it comes to spending. You can thank MLS roster rules for that.

5. A matchup Miami could’ve avoided

Miami jumped out to a two-goal advantage against the favored Palmeiras in the final game of group play, and looked set to top Group A in what would’ve been a landmark showing for an MLS side in such a tournament.

But late goals from Paulinho and Mauricio in the 80th and 88th minute dampened the mood slightly for the MLS side, seeing Miami draw the final match and finish second in the group instead of first. 

For many, the result was still seen as a victory, as getting out of the group in any way, shape, or form was Miami’s ultimate goal. Remember, they were the only MLS side to advance. But, considering the lead they held, and the difference in opponent they would’ve faced had they held on, it’s hard not to feel as if Miami let something slip away in those final moments.

A win would’ve seen Miami square up with Botafogo, a strong team in their own right but a much more beatable squad than PSG — just ask a Seattle Sounders side that played them off the park for the second ‘45 of their CWC meeting.

That said, it all gets a bit ridiculous when you consider Botofogo actually beat PSG earlier this tournament by a 1-0 scoreline. So, maybe nothing matters? What’s up is down, what’s black is white, and what’s grass is actually turf. 

Conventional wisdom would tell you Miami stands little chance. But conventional wisdom has been wrong before, and historically doesn’t apply to Lionel Messi.