Messi vs Ronaldo: Will Their Final Showdown Be at the 2025 Club World Cup?

It’s almost five years since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Last competed against each other in a competitive match, and it seems progressively less likely that this rivalry will be revisited as they conclude their careers in separate realms of football.

Could they perhaps have one final confrontation at the forthcoming Club World Cup?

Lionel Messi’s team, Inter Miami, has secured their spot, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo has been connected with multiple teams following his hints about continuing his story as he approaches the end of his tenure at Saudi-based club Al-Nassr.

We’ve assessed the likelihood of Ronaldo joining all of Inter Miami’s potential opponents at the Club World Cup.

Al Ahly

Not particularly familiar with your Al Ahly and your Al-Ahli? Allow us to assist you.

Like Ronaldo’s (soon to be former?) side Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli are majority owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and could have presumably hatched a plan to get him to the lavish summer tournament.

But that club aren’t the one going to the Club World Cup.

This Al Ahly are based in Cairo and qualified as winners of the 2020–21 CAF Champions League.

Despite being one of the most historically significant and successful teams in African soccer, they have substantially fewer financial resources compared to their counterparts in the Saudi Pro League. As such, they almost certainly wouldn't be able to cover even a small portion of what Cristiano Ronaldo earns.

We’re sure there’s nothing that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would love nothing more than a Messi-Ronaldo showdown in his flagship tournament’s opening fixture – not least for the reportedly dire ticket sales.

Only in his dreams.

Likelihood rating: 0/10

Palmeiras

There have been discussions about Ronaldo potentially joining a Brazilian team on a short-term contract (we'll delve into this further), however, Palmeiras will not be part of these negotiations.

The Athletic have been quite clear in their reports: "Palmeiras has neither taken any action nor does it intend to make an effort to sign Ronaldo."

Never going to happen.

Likelihood rating: 0/10

Porto

Could Ronaldo go back to Portugal?

“It’s up to him and the clubs interested,” former Porto president Pinto da Costa said before Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January 2023.

But in Portugal, no one has the means to provide him with what he currently makes and continues to aspire to make. Yet, he holds significant worth.

A certain Andre Villas-Boas has since taken over from Da Costa, who was the longest-serving president at Porto, and might have a different perspective; this could be especially true regarding a temporary agreement.

However, Ronaldo has consistently rejected the notion of returning to his homeland, particularly joining one of his childhood teams' arch-rivals. This seems highly unlikely to us.

Likelihood rating: 2/10

Knockout stages

In the first knockout round, Inter Miami’s Group A will face off against Group B – specifically, the group winners will compete against the runners-up.

If Inter Miami progresses, they would face either PSG, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, or Seattle Sounders.

Let's face it; he won't be joining PSG or Atletico Madrid. We also doubt that Seattle Sounders will sign Ronaldo.

Botafogo might indeed occur, as reports out of Brazil indicate that the club’s principal stakeholder, John Textor, has extended an offer to the 40-year-old player with intentions of making a splash.

They say that Textor’s plan features a provision enabling the free-agent megastar to take on a partnership role within Eagle Football Holdings—the entity holding interests in clubs such as Botafogo, Lyon, Crystal Palace, RWD Molenbeek, and FC Florida.

"You can't refuse a player of such stature," remarked Botafogo coach Renato Paiva when questioned about the rumors.

A reunion between Messi and Ronaldo could indeed occur, but should Ronaldo join Botafogo, they would have to navigate a group stage with both the reigning European champions and Atlético Madrid.

Even if they were to sneak second place, Miami would need to top their group ahead of the above teams. Another big ask.

If we take this one step further and suppose Messi makes it to the quarter-finals, he’d then face one of the better teams from groups C and D: likely to be one of Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors, Benfica, Flamengo or Chelsea.

We can’t see Ronaldo lining up for any of them later this month, to be honest.

All in all, it’d have to be a clash between Messi’s Inter Miami and Ronaldo’s Botafogo in the first knockout round. A lot of stars would have to align, but stranger things have happened.

Likelihood rating: 3/10

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