While Inter Miami fans and players alike will be filled with excitement by the FIFA Club World Cup it certainly won’t be an easy ride.
The club will be making their tournament debut next summer which will also see some games played in Miami.
The newly expanded FIFA tournament will see more of the best clubs sides from around the world come together to compete in a knockout-style tournament.
Inter Miami were handed a tough group which includes Portugal’s FC Porto, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Brazilian side Palmeiras.
The Herons were recently dealt a huge Neymar blow with the star confirming he would be playing for another side in the tournament.
However, Lionel Messi’s Argentinian teammate Nicolas Tagliafico appeared to express his desire to play for Inter Miami during the competition.
While Inter Miami will be looking to attract some star names ahead of next summer’s tournament, here are a few players they should be wary of facing.
Wessam Abou Ali – Al Ahly
Javier Mascherano’s side will open next summer’s tournament against the most successful African side in history when they take on Egypt’s Al Ahly.
The match will take place on Saturday 14 June at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Lionel Messi will be looking to keep up his sublime group-stage record in the opening game.
Al Ahly will be a huge test and current Herons’ manager Javier Mascherano was all praise for the Egyptians when he saw them in a previous Club World Cup edition.
While it is clear that the 44-time Egyptian champions have quality running through their side the man to watch is striker Wessam Abou Ali.
The Danish-born striker has been a prolific goalscorer in his young footballing career which has seen him play in his homeland of Denmark, Sweden and now Egypt.
The 25-year-old finished as Al Ahly top-scorer in his first season with the club scoring 18 goals en route to helping them secure another domestic title.
So far this season he has scored two goals in two games adding one assist. He will certainly keep the Inter Miami back-line busy.
Galeno – FC Porto
FC Porto, the big European powerhouses of the group, have quality in abundance and Brazilian winger Galeno is right up there.
Approaching 100 caps for the Portuguese side he is quickly becoming one of the most experienced in the squad.
At the age of 27, he still has good years ahead of him. He certainly hasn’t lost any of the pace and trickery which saw him burst onto the scene as a youngster with the Porto B side.
The Brazilian recently earned his first international call-up and with eight goals in 13 league games this season it’s not hard to see why.
His ability to play on the left or the right shows his great versatility and he will be hoping to cause problems for Jordi Alba and the Miami backline.
Despite being in a group with Porto the Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas was left somewhat disappointed by the draw.
Estevao – Palmeiras
Perhaps one of the most exciting stars of the whole tournament is Brazilian wonder-kid Estevao.
At the age of just 17 Estevao is already lighting up fields across Brazil and has signed a deal to join Premier League side Chelsea next summer.
The move will go through following the Club World Cup which should allow the star to compete in his final farewell for Palmeiras.
Dubbed ‘Messinho’ by many who have watched him the tricky winger scored 13 goals and contributed nine assists in the Brazilian top-flight last season.
He has also already made four appearances for the Brazilian senior team and Estevao expressed his excitement about playing against his idol Messi in the Club World Cup.
While he may only be 17 he has certainly shown that age is just a number. He will be looking to show everyone why he is so highly touted when he takes to the world stage.
Inter Miami’s Club World Cup fixtures
Keep the dates free Herons’ fans, here is when Inter Miami will be playing during the Club World Cup.
| Saturday, June 14 – 8 pm ET | Al Ahly (Egypt) |
| Thursday, June 19 – 3 pm ET | FC Porto (Portugal) |
| Monday, June 23 – 9 pm ET | Palmeiras (Brazil) |