Messi Faces Former Club PSG in Club World Cup Clash as Viewership Soars

Messi Faces Former Club PSG in Club World Cup Clash as Viewership Soars

Football fans worldwide are eagerly awaiting a high-stakes reunion as Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami prepares to face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Club World Cup Round of 16 tomorrow.

Messi’s heroics have already helped the MLS side remain unbeaten in the 2025 edition of the revamped summer tournament. His sensational free kick against Porto secured second place in Group A for Inter Miami, just behind Brazilian side Palmeiras.

Meanwhile, despite a surprise loss to Botafogo earlier in the tournament, PSG still managed to top Group B. Now, the European champions are set to clash with a familiar adversary—one who once wore their shirt and tormented them in his Barcelona days.

Messi has faced PSG 10 times in his career, all during his Barcelona tenure in the UEFA Champions League.

He recorded four wins, three losses, and three draws, including two memorable quarter-final ties in the 2012-13 season.

“Messi battled PSG for the first time 12 years ago and marked his maiden match against them with the opening goal in a 2-2 first-leg draw, before Barca progressed on away goals following a 1-1 stalemate in the corresponding fixture.”

During Barca’s run to the 2014-15 Champions League title, Messi was instrumental in both the group-stage and quarter-final victories over PSG, contributing goals and an assist to Neymar.

Two years later, he scored in the famous 6-1 comeback victory—the “remontada”—in the 2016-17 Round of 16. He also scored in both legs of the 2020-21 last-16 encounter, but it wasn’t enough to stop a Kylian Mbappe-led PSG from advancing.

Now wearing Inter Miami colors, Messi is once again at the center of attention—not just on the pitch, but also in terms of television viewership.

Broadcasts of the Club World Cup on TNT Sports (TNT, TBS, truTV) in English are averaging 360,000 viewers, closing in on the Premier League’s average of 394,000 per match during the 2024-25 season, according to Sports Media Watch.

“Three of the top seven English-language telecasts on TNT Sports featured Inter Miami, led by 676,000 tuning in to see the Major League Soccer side draw 2-2 with Brazil’s Palmeiras on Monday.”

Other matches also pulled significant numbers, including:

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371,000 viewers for the 0-0 draw with Egypt’s Al Ahly

349,000 for the upset 2-1 win over Portugal’s Porto

Spanish-language broadcasts drew even higher ratings, helping turn the Messi-led Miami side into one of the tournament’s biggest viewership drivers.

Tomorrow’s showdown in Atlanta is expected to be a global ratings hit, featuring Messi against his immediate former club and the newly crowned UEFA Champions League winners.

According to Sports Media Watch, another popular football broadcast—the U.S. vs. Haiti Gold Cup match—attracted 1.2 million viewers on Fox, underscoring the growing global appetite for high-stakes international football.

As Messi leads the underdog Inter Miami into the knockout stage, the world watches to see if the Argentine legend can once again rise to the occasion against PSG.