The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, "Messi mania" and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.

FIFA claimed the Club World Cup would change football ‘for the better’, but the event has had an underwhelming start.

The inaugural expanded summer Club World Cup is officially now underway as 32 teams face off across four weeks in the USA.Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami kicked off the tournament against Al Ahly of Egypt in an entertaining goalless draw on Saturday night,

Shane Baz pitched 6 2/3 effective innings and Junior Caminero drilled a three-run home run as the visiting Tampa Bay Rays continued their surge with a 9-0 victory, completing a three-game sweep of the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami drew 0-0 against Al Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup opening game last night. Nearly 38, Messi's time in soccer is nearly over, and despite playing multiple games in the span of a few weeks,

The FIFA Club World Cup kicked off tonight, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez's Inter Miami failing to go beyond a goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly from Cairo. It wasn't

The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, "Messi mania" and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.