PSG vs. Inter Miami: Projected lineups for Round of 16 clash in the Club World Cup

Lionel Messi is set to take on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, as Inter Miami face the French champions in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. This marks Messi’s first meeting with PSG since leaving Europe for Major League Soccer.

This Sunday, the quarterfinal field will be finalized at the FIFA Club World Cup, beginning with a high-stakes clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

PSG entered the tournament as one of the clear favorites, fresh off their UEFA Champions League title. Alongside Botafogo, the French giants advanced from Group B. They opened their campaign with a dominant win over Atlético Madrid, stumbled with a surprising loss to Botafogo, and bounced back to beat the Seattle Sounders to secure their spot in the knockout stage with six points.

On the other side, Inter Miami have become one of the most followed teams in the competition, largely thanks to the presence of global superstar Lionel Messi. The MLS side opened with a scoreless draw against Al Ahly, picked up a crucial win over Porto, and finished the group stage with a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras—enough to advance as runners-up from Group A.

Sunday’s match will see Messi reunite with his former club, PSG, after spending two seasons in Paris during his final years in European soccer. Now, wearing the pink and black of Inter Miami, he’ll aim to lead Javier Mascherano’s side to an upset victory.

Projected lineups – PSG vs. Inter Miami

Inter Miami CF: Óscar Ustari; Ian Fray, Tomás Avilés, Maximiliano Falcón, Noah Allen; Tadeo Allende, Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, Velasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Beraldo, Willian Pacho, Lucas Hernández; Warren Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu; Désiré Doué, Gonçalo Ramos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.