
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hold their Club World Cup fate in their own hands as they meet Brazilian giants Palmeiras in Miami on Monday night.
While both teams sit in qualifying places coming into the day, they are in very precarious positions. A draw would see both teams qualify for the knockout stages, but a potential loser in this match would be vulnerable to being caught by the winner of Porto vs. Al Ahly below them.
Having upset European side Porto last time out, the Herons are in a position few thought possible for the MLS club at the onset of the competition — being in control of their knockout-stage destiny heading into the final match.
Yet a significant challenge remains across these last 90 minutes. They face a Palmeiras side who have won four Brazilian league titles in the last decade, and have two Copa Libertadores triumphs in the last five years alongside that.
The Sporting News is following the Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras match live, providing score updates, commentary, and analysis.
JUMP TO: Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Standings | How to watch where you are
Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras score
| Score (Pregame) | Goal scorers | |
| Inter Miami | – | – |
| Palmeiras | – | – |
Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Starting lineups:
Inter Miami (4-4-2, right to left): 19. Ustari (GK) — 57. Weigandt, 6. Aviles, 37. Falcon, 32. Allen — 21. Allende, 55. Redondo, 5. Busquets, 8. Segovia — 10. Messi, 9. Suarez
Palmeiras (4-3-3, right to left): 21. Weverton (GK) — 2. Rocha, 15. Gomez, 26. Murilo, 22. Piquerez — 8. Rios, 23. Veiga, 30. Lucas — 41. Estevao, 42. Lopez, 17. Torres
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Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras live updates, highlights from Club World Cup
15 mins to kickoff: Alongside Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, there is also the other match in Group A, of whose result will directly affect these two clubs. We will keep you updated on that match between Porto and Al Ahly as well, to give you a full picture of the knockout qualification hopes of these clubs!
Here’s the scenarios:
- Palmeiras advances with a win or draw vs. Inter Miami OR an Al Ahly win or draw vs. Porto
- Inter Miami advances with a win or draw OR Porto win or draw
- Porto advance with a win AND Palmeiras defeat AND make up 3 goals differential on Palmeiras
- Al Ahly advance with win AND Inter Miami defeat AND make up 3 goal differential on Inter Miami
So, Inter Miami fans will want to root for Porto, while Palmeiras fans will be rooting for Al Ahly, and visa versa!
30 mins to kickoff: Sounds like Miami will be honoring one of its title teams at halftime of this match tonight!
Florida Panthers players expected to appear at half-time at Hard Rock Stadium with the Stanley Cup trophy.
— Simon Evans (@sgevans) June 24, 2025
45 mins to kickoff: Lionel Messi has arrived at Hard Rock Stadium! It will be interesting to see how the attendance shapes out after the Herons opened the tournament at this stadium in front of a surprisingly sparse crowd.
Will we witness another extraordinary freekick goal ⚽🔥 from this man? 👀
Watch the @fifacwc | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MIASEP pic.twitter.com/lsHzAGSg3u
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 23, 2025
1 hour to kickoff: With the Inter Miami lineup in, it’s confirmed that Lionel Messi will start the match for the Herons! However, Jordi Alba is still not ready for a place at left-back, meaning Noah Allen moves back out wide and Tomas Aviles comes back in at center-back. Federico Redondo takes over in midfield for Benjamin Cremaschi who was excellent against Porto.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The Palmeiras lineup is in, and they have made a few changes, with at least one in each phase of the game. Most notably, striker Vitor Roque has been rotated out and given a rest ahead of a likely spot in the knockout phase, replaced by Jose Manuel Lopez. Marcos Rocha and Murilo also come in along the back line, while Lucas Evangelista enters in midfield.
Bora de escalação, família? ESTAMOS PRONTOS! 📋 pic.twitter.com/TKdSWgLbEa
— SE Palmeiras (@Palmeiras) June 23, 2025
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Jordi Alba’s jersey has been used by Inter Miami’s social team in pre-match buildup, indicating he’s likely ready to return to the starting lineup after missing the Club World Cup opener and coming off the bench last time out.
Every piece in place. Vamos Miami 👊 ✨ pic.twitter.com/5aP1N1sxWc
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 23, 2025
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Before we look ahead to this match, it’s worth looking back at Lionel Messi’s trademark free-kick goal he scored against Porto to help give the Herons a famous win.
Last #FIFACWC game Messi did this 😱 @InterMiamiCF looks to advance past Group A when they take on Palmeiras at 9pm ET on DAZN. pic.twitter.com/9eanECWPIZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 23, 2025
2 hours to kickoff: This match represents one of those curious situations in group-stage knockout football where both teams would qualify with a draw, but going for a victory would be risky because defeat could mean elimination.
Even if there’s no outright conspiracy, a low-scoring affair will call into question each side’s motivation to go for a win! Topping your group comes with the benefit of being seeded, so there’s more of a reason for Inter Miami to take some risks, but even so, qualifying second isn’t enough of a punishment to force them out of their shell.
Palmeiras and Inter Miami players tonight, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle so they can both qualify together. pic.twitter.com/IDsh4lPymT
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) June 23, 2025
Club World Cup Group A standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-D-L | Goal Diff. | GF-GA |
| 1. | Palmeiras | 2 | 4 | 1-1-0 | +2 | 2-0 |
| 2. | Inter Miami | 2 | 4 | 1-1-0 | +1 | 2-1 |
| 3. | Porto | 2 | 1 | 0-1-1 | -1 | 1-2 |
| 4. | Al Ahly | 2 | 1 | 0-1-1 | -2 | 0-2 |
Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras kick off time
This Club World Cup group stage match kicks off from Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, June 23 at 9 p.m. local time in Miami, FL. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Mon, Jun. 23 | 9 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Sat, Jun. 15 | 9 a.m. PT |
| UK | Tue, Jun. 24 | 2 a.m. BST |
| Australia | Tue, Jun. 24 | 1 p.m. AEST |
| India | Tue, Jun. 24 | 6:30 a.m. IST |
Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras lineups, team news
While Inter Miami have built their team around Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the rest of the attack is extremely thin in terms of a supporting cast. MLS veteran Fafa Picault is back with the Herons after playing for Haiti in their two World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, departing before the Gold Cup to instead play in the Club World Cup.
Starting goalkeeper Drake Callender has been dealing with a hernia for months and is unlikely to participate in this competition at all after having surgery. Backup Oscar Ustari recovered from a precautionary exit from a late May MLS game and will continue in goal after starring in the team’s first two matches.
Versatile midfielder David Ruiz is back after a muscle issue but only training on his own, as is Yannick Bright. Jordi Alba has returned from his own hamstring injury came off the bench against Porto, but is still not ready for a start. Almost certainly out is Gonzalo Lujan, who have been absent from training due to hamstring complaints.
Inter Miami starting lineup (4-4-2): Ustari (GK) — Weigandt, Aviles, Falcon, Allen — Allende, Redondo, Busquets, Segovia — Messi, Suarez.
Inter Miami subs: (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Palmeiras have multiple Brazil internationals in their squad, including 18-year-old Chelsea-bound winger Estevao and midfielder Raphael Veiga. Also along the back line is Paraguay veteran Gustavo Gomez who boasts 81 caps for his national team and captains the club.
They also sport former Barcelona striker Vitor Roque who signed from the La Liga giants last winter. He has scored just three goals for the club since joining, and after drawing blanks in their first two games, he’s been rotated out in favor of Jose Manuel Lopez.
Midfielder Anibal Moreno suffered a thigh injury in their 2-0 win over Al Ahly last time out and has been replaced by Lucas Evangelista. Winger Bruno Rodrigues has a knee problem and has not appeared all season, while 19-year-old midfielder Figueiredo is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Palmeiras starting lineup (4-3-3): Weverton (GK) — Rocha, Gomez, Murilo, Piquerez — Rios, Veiga, Lucas — Estevao, Lopez, Torres.
Palmeiras subs: Lomba (GK), Fuchs, Glay, Vanderlan, Anderson, Roque, Paulinho, Mayke, Micael, Mauricio, Luighi, E. Martinez, Naves, Thalys, Allan.
Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | TBS, truTV | DAZN, Sling |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | Channel 5 | DAZN |
| Australia | — | DAZN, Kayo Sports, Foxtel |
| India | — | DAZN, tabii |








