The Club World Cup will open with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egyptian champions Al Ahly.

David Beckham’s side of ageing superstars are included in the tournament because they are MLS regular season winners after amassing 74 points despite not actually winning the overall playoff trophy.

They will open the revamped Club World Cup at 1am UK time when they face off against one of Africa’s biggest teams in the tournament’s opening game.

The match, like all Club World Cup games, will be free to air worldwide for anybody who signs up for a free account at DAZN, which has secured the rights to the tournament. You can sign up here.

Inter Miami will have home advantage for the Group A game, which will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The winner will be able to get an early lead in a group that also includes Brazilian side Palmeiras and Portuguese giants Porto.

The match will be the first of five games taking place on the opening day of the tournament.

UK viewers will be able to watch Bayern Munich take on New Zealand part-timers Auckland City at 5pm, followed by PSG vs Atletico at 8pm, and Palmeiras vs Porto at 11pm. 

Seattle Sounders and Brazilian side Botafogo will play at 3am on Sunday morning as part of the five-strong round of opening fixtures.

There is plenty of incentive for teams to put out strong teams in the tournament. FIFA has announced a prize fund of $1bn with the winner set to bag $125m – the same as the Champions League winners. 

England’s representatives will be Chelsea and Manchester City after they won two of the past four Champions League titles.

Countries are limited to just two teams per nation, with the exception of the USA which gets an extra team because it is hosting the tournament.

Taking place every four years, the Club World Cup will feature 32 teams from six continents and Europe’s contingent contains the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, current Champions League holders PSG, and beaten finalists Inter Milan.