Africa’s final hope at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup faded under the Miami night lights as Mamelodi Sundowns were held to a goalless draw by Fluminense, confirming their exit from the competition in the group stage. The stalemate, played at the Hard Rock Stadium, sealed a winless tournament for African clubs, with all four representatives—Sundowns, Al Ahly, Esperance, and Wydad Casablanca—now eliminated.

Sundowns entered the decisive Group F encounter knowing that only a victory would see them leapfrog Fluminense and reach the Round of 16. The South African side started brightly, forcing two early saves from Fluminense’s veteran goalkeeper Fabio. But it was the Brazilians who came closest to scoring, when Germán Cano’s powerful effort struck the post in the 57th minute, with Ronwen Williams beaten.

Heading into the final matchday, three teams in the group—Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense, and Sundowns—were still in contention. However, Dortmund’s narrow 1-0 win over Ulsan Hyundai, the group’s only previously eliminated side, reshaped the standings. The German club leapfrogged Fluminense to claim top spot, while Sundowns’ four-point tally proved insufficient.

With the draw, Fluminense progress as Group F runners-up and will face the Group E winners—one of River Plate, Inter Milan, or Monterrey—in the next round. Their opponents will be revealed following the final Group E fixtures overnight.

For Thiago Silva and his teammates, the mission continues into the quarter-finals. But for African clubs, the 2025 edition ends with disappointment and lessons to ponder in the growingly competitive landscape of global club football.

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Football fans hoping to rub shoulders with FIFA executives and legendary players at a star-studded gala in New York City will need deep pockets.

Big Art, an international event management company, is hosting an exclusive event on Wall Street to mark the FIFA Club World Cup finals. Among the high-profile attendees expected are FIFA President Gianni Infantino and former World Cup stars Kaka, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos.

Billed as “the official celebration of the FIFA Club World Cup finals,” the glamorous evening will feature a live performance by global pop sensation Rita Ora.

Tickets for the gala don’t come cheap—entry starts at $1,000 per person for the Silver tier, with Platinum priced at $2,000 and the elite Black category going for $3,000.

The event is slated for July 10, falling between the tournament’s second semifinal and the final match, which is set for July 13. While FIFA confirmed it will not receive proceeds from the event, it has not disclosed where the revenue will be directed, according to The Athletic.

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Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is hoping that Lionel Messi’s memories of his unhappy time at Paris Saint-Germain will fire him up for the clash between the two teams in the Club World Cup on June 29.

Miami were surprise qualifiers from Group A after beating Porto and drawing with Palmeiras and Al Ahly, and now face the daunting task of playing the recently crowned European champions.

Messi joined Miami after two seasons in the French capital and made clear he had not enjoyed his time with PSG.

“It’s clear that it would better for us if he was angry, because he’s one of those players who, when he has something in mind, gives a bit extra,” Mascherano told ESPN.

The Argentine coach was clear though that the emotions will be less than if Messi were up against PSG on European soil rather than facing his old team in Atlanta.

“I think that’s in the past now, it’s another story. Also, the fact that it’s here in the United States, I don’t think the atmosphere will be the same, but what we will try to do is play a great game,” he added.

“We know that in order to have a chance, we have to play a perfect game, and well, we’ll go for it.”

After joining Miami in Major League Soccer, Messi reflected on his time in Paris saying it had been “difficult”.

“I spent two years that I didn’t enjoy. I wasn’t happy on a day-to-day basis, with the training sessions, the games, I found it hard to adapt to all that,” he said.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will face a very different PSG to the one that he left with the club having been transformed under Spanish coach Luis Enrique.

Enrique is a familiar face for several of the Miami team who played under him at Barcelona.

Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Messi and Mascherano all featured for Enrique’s Barca, winning the treble under him in 2015.

“I’ve said it infinite times. For me, he’s the best – I think not just as a coach, but also how he manages the group,” said Alba, who also worked with Enrique with the Spanish national team.

“He’s a phenomenon. I’m excited to see him, as well as his entire staff. I’ll give him a hug but when the ref blows the opening whistle, try to beat him. Which is what all of us here are trying to do.”

Suarez, who scored in the 2-2 draw with Palmeiras on June 23, was also full of praise for the Spanish coach.

“For me, along with Maestro (Oscar) Tabarez of the (Uruguay) national team, he was the most important coach of my career, for what they taught me, for what I learnt in the day-to-day with them,” he said.

“He’s a coach who influenced me greatly. I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me. He taught me how to move within a space where I had to play a role I wasn’t used to, not touching the ball a lot… Not to mention on a personal level, a relationship of great respect and admiration for what he generated for us as players.”

Mascherano, in his first club coaching job, said he remains a personal friend of the PSG coach and his family.

“That is the beautiful thing about football sometimes,” he said.

“You face these kind of things and, well, in my opinion, I do not deserve this as a coach just yet. But yes, it will be a very beautiful opportunity. I always wish him all the best; that won’t be the case for Sunday. I hope luck will be on our side on Sunday. But yes, I have a very good relationship with him. I appreciate him a lot.”

-AFP