2025 Club World Cup: Round of 16 ties confirmed. When do they start and when will Messi play?

Matchday 3 of the 2025 Club World Cup has concluded. And so has the group stage . Unlike past editions, this tournament features the same format as the historic international championship. Thirty-two teams are divided into eight groups of four, with the top two advancing to the playoffs from the round of 16 .

The following teams have qualified for the round of 16: Palmeiras , Botafogo, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Fluminense, Manchester City , Al Hilal, PSG, Inter Miami, Flamengo, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Dortmund and Monterrey . As can be seen, there are nine teams from UEFA, four from CONMEBOL, two from CONCACAF and one from the AFC.

While these will be the crosses: Palmeiras vs. Botafogo, Benfica vs. Chelsea, Inter Milan vs. Fluminense, Manchester City vs. Al Hilal, PSG vs. Inter Miami, Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid vs. Juventus, Dortmund vs. Monterrey .

The 2025 Club World Cup Round of 16 will kick off on Saturday the 28th with the following matches: Palmeiras vs. Botafogo at 1:00 p.m. and Benfica vs. Chelsea at 5:00 p.m. In the event of a draw after 90 minutes, the match will result in a draw and/or penalties.

Looking at the table, there could be some very interesting matches in the quarterfinals. One of them would be Inter vs. Manchester City, a repeat of the Champions League final that took place just a few seasons ago .

Messi, for his part, will face PSG on Sunday the 29th at 1:00 p.m. in Atlanta, where he scored a stunning free-kick in the win against Porto . Javier Mascherano's team will face a tough challenge against the reigning Champions League champions.

Although there are still a couple of training sessions remaining, Inter has no new injuries. Therefore, Mascherano is expected to field the same starting eleven that drew with Palmeiras: Óscar Ustari; Ian Fray, Maxi Falcón, Tomás Avilés, Noah Allen; Telasco Segovia, Sergio Busquets, Federico Redondo; Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suárez .