Javier Mascherano, the newly appointed head coach of Inter Miami, is brimming with ambition as he prepares to lead his team in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Following a record-breaking 2024 MLS regular season, where Inter Miami clinched the Supporters’ Shield with an impressive 74 points, FIFA president Gianni Infantino personally invited the Herons to represent the host nation in the expanded tournament. Now, under Mascherano’s leadership, Inter Miami is set to take on the world’s elite clubs with dreams of making history.
The Herons’ remarkable regular season was orchestrated by former coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who departed after a surprising first-round exit in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Stepping into the spotlight, Mascherano now shoulders the responsibility of guiding Inter Miami through the prestigious Club World Cup, a tournament featuring global giants like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City.
For Mascherano, the opportunity to compete on this stage is monumental—not just for Inter Miami, but for the city of Miami and the United States. “It means a lot for the club, for the city, for the country because it’s a competition with teams that have a lot of history,” Mascherano said passionately. “To be able to dream of competing and maybe, who knows, facing one of these great teams is truly a huge privilege.”
Despite being underdogs, Inter Miami is not content with merely participating. The team is hungry to make a deep run in the tournament, which will be hosted across the United States this summer. A triumph would mark Inter Miami’s first silverware under Mascherano and only the third trophy in the club’s young history.
Inter Miami is joined by two other MLS teams, Seattle Sounders and LAFC, in the 32-team competition. However, the pressure is uniquely intense for the Herons, who boast a star-studded roster featuring former Barcelona icons Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Expectations are sky-high, even after a patchy run of form earlier this year, where the team managed just one win in eight matches across all competitions from late April to May. Fortunately, Inter Miami regained momentum with back-to-back victories in their final two MLS matches before the tournament.
Mascherano is banking on that late-season surge to propel his squad as they kick off their Club World Cup campaign against Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly on Saturday, June 14, at Hard Rock Stadium. With the world watching, Inter Miami aims to prove they are more than just participants—they’re contenders ready to shake up the global stage.