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Inter Miami and Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras clash on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, as both teams seek to top Group A and reach the Round of 16. With one of the world’s greatest players taking the pitch and both teams looking to stay alive in Group A, this match should have plenty of fireworks. Before locking in your picks, check out our Inter Miami vs Palmeiras preview and prediction.
Inter Miami currently holds sixth place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 29 points, a +9 goal differential and an 8-5-3 record. While their CONCACAF Champions Cup run showed promise, it came to a halt in the semifinals with a 5-1 aggregate loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Now shifting focus to the FIFA Club World Cup, Miami opened their campaign with a scoreless draw against Al Ahly before delivering a dramatic comeback win over Portuguese giants FC Porto. Despite being underdogs, Miami flipped the script in the second half, capped off by a stunning trademark free-kick goal from none other than Lionel Messi. Unsurprisingly, Messi has been the heartbeat of this squad, leading the team in scoring and ranking fifth in MLS with 10 goals and six assists in 13 games. With a decisive clash looming Monday night that could determine their fate in the tournament, expect one of the greatest to ever play the game to rise to the occasion once again.
Palmeiras currently sits in fourth in Brazil’s Série A with 24 points, a surprising position for one of the country’s most decorated and successful clubs. Despite the slow start domestically, they’ve shown flashes of their quality in the FIFA Club World Cup. The squad is loaded with Brazilian talent, headlined by 18-year-old sensation Estevão, who recently secured a $39.4 million move to Premier League side Chelsea. While he has yet to find the back of the net this season, he’s already tallied four assists and earned Man of the Match honors against Porto. After a goalless draw with Porto on Matchday 1, Palmeiras followed up with a composed 2-0 victory over Al Ahly in a weather-delayed match.
Heading into their final group-stage fixture against Inter Miami, a draw would be enough for both teams to advance. But with knockout round berths on the line, expect a tense and tactical showdown. Neither team will want to leave the door open for a late twist from Porto or Al Ahly, so don’t be surprised if this one is played close to the chest.
This is a crucial matchup for Inter Miami, with major seeding implications on the line. While a draw would see both teams move on to the knockout stage, neither will want to leave anything to chance, especially with Porto and Al Ahly still lurking. Palmeiras has been rock-solid defensively, keeping clean sheets in both of their Club World Cup matches so far. But Inter Miami comes into this one riding a wave of momentum, fueled by their core of ex-Barcelona stars. Lionel Messi, in particular, continues to prove he’s still among the world’s elite. As Miami’s go-to set-piece and penalty taker, it’s hard to imagine a match of this magnitude where he doesn’t at least test the keeper. Whether it’s from distance or the spot, don’t be surprised if the greatest of all time leaves his mark on the night.
Luke Lindholm is an avid basketball, baseball, football, hockey and soccer fan who specializes in writing promotional content for multiple sportsbooks and prediction-based articles across a variety of sports. His work has been featured on prominent websites including Sports Illustrated, Pickswise, Men’s Journal, TheStreet, Athlon Sports and more. He started as a college football handicapper for Pickswise in 2016 and is a current member of the Pickswise NFL handicapping team.