The arrival of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami has made the world take a closer look at MLS. The eight-time Ballon d’Or champion, widely seen as the best player in football history, arrived with a stardom that shifted the scenario of the league. When Inter Miami secured the Leagues Cup in their first-ever final, it begged the question: could this groundbreaking win set up a qualification for the Club World Cup in 2025?

The fact they beat top-flight talent Inter Miami 2-0 in the Leagues Cup—combined with Messi’s magical prowess to lean on otherwise—means they probably made a decent case. But the journey to qualification is not easy, as many things matter.

As an aside, Head Coach Gerardo Martino spoke about the matter during Friday’s news conference and confirmed that “FIFA had not alerted Inter Miami officially” regarding its potential qualification for the 2025 Club World Cup. He said, “No, we all have the same news that it could be very possible.” The 61-year-old added, ” I think now we have the fundamental football merits to earn that spot…“. While the club and Messi will surely be among the favorites, at the end of the day, it is a decision for FIFA to make.

The competition will be played in the United States in 2025, with 32 teams participating instead of the customary seven clubs. FIFA granted four spots to CONCACAF, enabling the following teams to compete: Pachuca (2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup champions), León (2023 Concacaf Champions League winners), Seattle Sounders (2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners), and Monterrey (2021 CONCACAF Champions League winners).

However, FIFA decided to choose an additional MLS player because the United States received an extra ticket to the competition for hosting. Yet, there is also an update on the match against Toronto. Let’s find out what Martino said.

After winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield, Lionel Messi will play against Toronto

Despite recently winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield, Inter Miami manager Tata Martino has indicated that Lionel Messi will play against Toronto on Saturday. The Inter Miami head coach is eager to see Messi and his team continue to gain momentum and thinks that giving the Argentine sensation more playing time would only help. Although the Herons’ season is far from done, they celebrated winning the MLS Supporter’s Shield on Wednesday night. Messi is not going to get a break anytime soon, as Martino is aiming for a points record.

“We understand that accumulating minutes is putting him in rhythm, and that is happening, it is not a question of him accumulating fatigue,” Martino declared prior to the match against Toronto.

Messi is hoping to lead Inter Miami to a double, so he’ll be hunting for additional hardware. If they triumph in their final two games of the season against Toronto and the Revs, they might possibly surpass the points record established by the New England Revolution in 2021. They are five points off the total of 73 and cannot afford to drop any points if they want to break it.