Lionel Messi was denied a sensational late winner as Inter Miami had to settle for a 0-0 draw against Egypt’s Al Ahly in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Saturday night

Say what you will about the Club World Cup (and there is so, so much to say), but the format, inflated as it may be at 32 teams, does offer a truer sample size of how different confederations stack up against each other than the eight-team format did.