Our FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025 team previews continue with Inter Miami, who face Al-Ahly in the opening fixture.
In these articles, you’ll find top goalscorers, leading assist-makers, a rough predicted XI and our pick of the players worth considering selecting in your FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy teams.
- READ MORE: FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: Palmeiras – Best players, predicted XI + more
- READ MORE: FIFA Club World Cup Fantasy 2025: Porto – Best players, predicted XI + more
- READ MORE: How to play the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fantasy game
Inter Miami: Overview
Inter Miami are one of three clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) to take part in the tournament.
You perhaps get the feeling they are only there because Gianni Infantino needed to sprinkle some stardust on the tournament and so shoehorned Lionel Messi’s ($10.5m) team in at all costs.
Inter Miami did not, after all, win the MLS Cup, although they did have a commendable 2024, winning the regular season (aka the MLS Supporters’ Shield) before being eliminated in the post-season knockouts.
It was, indeed, through the league route that they controversially qualified.
The David Beckham-owned outfit have not fared quite so well in MLS so far this season, enduring a recent four-match winless streak before returning to winning ways in Matchday 16 thanks to a virtuoso Messi performance against Montreal.
Having also thrashed Columbus Crew 5-1 on Sunday, the Herons are at least now back among the top three in the Eastern Conference table.
The concerns ahead of the Club World Cup are at the back, where an already wobbly backline has been further weakened by recent injuries.
Where there is Messi, there is hope, but Matchday 1 is realistically a must-win game if the MLS side are to make it through the group stage.
Group fixtures
Bookies predictions
| To Qualify | To Win Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras | 59.0% | 31.1% |
| FC Porto | 61.8% | 37.6% |
| Al Ahly | 30.8% | 9.0% |
| Inter Miami | 48.4% | 22.3% |
League top scorers
After 16 games played:
- Lionel Messi ($10.5m, FWD) – 10
- Tadeo Allende ($5.2m, FWD) – 6
- Luis Suarez ($8.0m, FWD) – 5
League top assist-makers
After 16 games played:
- Luis Suarez ($8.0m, FWD) – 7
- Lionel Messi ($10.5m, FWD) – 5
- Jordi Alba ($5.1m, DEF) – 4
Set-piece takers
Penalties
- Lionel Messi ($10.5m, FWD)
- Luis Suarez ($8.0m, FWD)
Messi is first in line, with Suarez scoring his only spot-kick of 2025 when Messi was off the field.
Corners + free-kicks
- Lionel Messi ($10.5m, FWD)
- Telasco Segovia ($14.8m, MID)
- Jordi Alba ($5.1m, DEF)
Messi (36) has unsurprisingly taken many of Inter Miami’s corners in 2025, with Segovia (20) and Alba (15) a little way back.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
Lionel Messi ($10.5m) – FWD
It goes without saying that arguably the best player to have walked the face of the earth might be a useful Fantasy asset.
Lionel Messi is joint-third in the MLS scorers’ charts this season despite only playing 13 matches, at least three or four fewer than those above him.
Crucially, the Argentina captain is coming into form, producing four goals and three assists across his last two matches.
He remains a devastating free-kick taker, too, recently becoming the third-highest scorer of free-kicks of all time with 67. The former Barcelona man is on penalties as well, of course.
The forward positions will be hotly contested in many Fantasy teams but in Matchday 1 especially, when Miami face group outsiders Al Ahly, Messi ought to be very much in the selection conversation.
Luis Suarez ($8.0m) – FWD
Luis Suárez may not be as fast as he once was, but what he lacks in physical speed, he more than makes up for in game intelligence.
In America, Suárez has become as well known for his goal creation as his goalscoring.
This season, he is joint top of the MLS assists charts, despite having played only 13 matches, and the partnership he has struck up with Messi is a joy to behold.
Like Messi, Suárez will be keen to put on a show, particularly on the opening night when they host Al-Ahly at Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
Jordi Alba ($5.1m) – DEF
Before we begin, a caveat: Alba faces a race against time to be fit for Matchday 1, having suffered a hamstring injury in late May. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest team news as the big kick-off approaches, as Alba may be a non-starter as a Fantasy pick.
If he does recover in time, the appeal is obvious. At Inter Miami, he contributes the same attacking verve that made him one of the most highly rated full-backs in world football during his many years at Barcelona.
The Barca connection also means he combines well with Messi, Suarez and Sergio Busquets ($5.0m), as demonstrated by his assists and high chance creation.
He has 0.24 expected assists per 90 minutes in the last year, putting him in the 98th percentile against other full-backs. Alba has also produced 4.60 crosses per 90 (83rd percentile) and has played 1.70 key passes per 90 (94th percentile).
Early predicted XI
It’s not just Alba who is a concern for Matchday 1 but also centre-half Gonzalo Luján ($4.5m), who limped off in the same game as the Spanish full-back.
Yannick Bright ($5.3m), very much an option alongside Busquets, is himself sidelined with a hamstring injury.
‘Keeper Oscar Ustari ($4.0m) came off at half-time on Sunday but only due to “muscle overload”.
