Inter Miami Makes Club World Cup History, Sets Up Paris Saint-Germain Showdown After Tense Palmeiras Draw

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
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Inter Miami's Breakthrough: First MLS Team Into Club World Cup Knockouts

Those who thought Major League Soccer teams rarely make headlines on the global stage just got their answer. Inter Miami CF tore up the script at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, clinching a place in the knockout rounds—and making a bit of American soccer history in the process. Their 2-2 draw against Brazil’s Palmeiras at a buzzing Hard Rock Stadium didn’t just keep their tournament hopes alive. It set a new benchmark: no MLS side had ever advanced this far in the competition.

Tadeo Allende wasted no time showing Miami meant business. Just 16 minutes in, he latched onto a clever chest pass from Luis Suárez, sprinted between defenders, and coolly finished, sending the home crowd into an early frenzy. If that goal set the pace, Suárez’s own moment of magic in the 65th minute doubled down. Dribbling with the kind of swagger only he can pull off, he weaved past defenders before unleashing a precise finish that had even Palmeiras defenders shaking their heads. Miami were up 2-0, and the knockout stage looked within reach.

But this wasn’t a procession. Palmeiras, with their reputation for last-minute drama, weren’t ready to pack up. Paulinho clawed one back in the 80th, scoring after Miami’s defense got dragged out of shape on a quick counter. Just seven minutes later, Maurício broke through Miami’s back line and squeezed home the equalizer, shifting nerves from the stands right down to the touchline. For a moment, it felt like the Herons might let this slip. Yet, the final whistle brought relief—a single point, just enough for the second-place finish in Group A required to book Miami’s passage to the next round.

Facing PSG: The Next Giant Awaits

Finishing the group stage with five points (one win, two draws), Miami now gets a shot at European royalty. Paris Saint-Germain, Group A’s winners, await at Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a high-stakes Round of 16 showdown on June 29. The matchup feels tailor-made for drama: Lionel Messi, if fit, could face his former club on American soil. Even those outside MLS circles will be tuning in for this one.

No one is pretending the road ahead is easy. Their group campaign exposed both shiny highlights and glaring holes. Javier Mascherano, Miami’s head coach, praised the squad’s grit—not shying away from calling out the defensive lapses that nearly spoiled the party. "You have to suffer to learn," he told reporters, crediting his players for surviving under pressure when it mattered. He called the chance to go up against the mighty PSG a "reward earned by this team’s courage."

The draw with Palmeiras showed what this Miami side is about: raw belief, attacking flair (Allende and Suárez at the center, as ever), and, yes, a tendency to let things get a little too interesting in the dying minutes. But on a night that mixed nerves with euphoria, Miami fans got the biggest payoff yet from the David Beckham era—proof that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best, at least for now.

Now, all eyes turn to Atlanta and the global spotlight. Can Inter Miami’s breakout run rattle the giants again, or will PSG remind them just how high the mountain still stands? For now, though, there’s no taking away what’s already happened: MLS finally has a team—and a story—on the Club World Cup map. Inter Miami just made themselves impossible to ignore.