Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn on Thursday along with Juventus, Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain in Group G for next year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Lionel Messi and MLS side Inter Miami are in Group A and will face Al Ahly in the opening match of the expanded 32-team tournament ahead of games against Porto and Palmeiras.
The tournament, featuring top teams from around the world, will be held in 12 stadiums across the country from June 15 to July 13 and will serve as a final rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Among the strong clubs in this field are Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. South America has four top-ranked teams: Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.
And Messi’s team had the honor of playing its first match representing the host country. It will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“This is about inclusivity and bringing together clubs from all over the world, 32 top clubs and the best players from around the world,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Other openers include: Paris Saint-Germain v Atletico Madrid, with Botafogo in Seattle in Group B action; Monterrey faces Inter Milan in Group E. Real Madrid will face Saudi club Al Hilal in Group H. This is a battle of superstars such as Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Al Hilal’s potential Neymar.
Manchester City won the most recent Club World Cup in the traditional format in 2023 and sit fourth in the Premier League after being hit hard by injuries to key players including Spanish midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
City, which won an unprecedented fourth consecutive English Premier League title this year, will face Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain in the opening match and will finish against Juventus in the group stage.
Miami was the second team added to the tournament after winning the Supporters’ Shield atop the MLS standings in the regular season before losing in the first round of the MLS playoffs last month.
“We always want to play against the best teams in the world,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “This is an opportunity to showcase almost 30 years of progress in our league. It’s really exciting to now be able to play in our own country against the best players in the world.”
Brazilian side Botafogo won their first Copa Libertadores title last week, securing their final spot in the tournament.
Chelsea will start against Leon in Group D and then face Flamengo and Esperance, while Group F consists of Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The club competition will use the traditional 32-team format used at the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robin groups of four teams each were drawn on Thursday, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the round of 16.
Europe ranked 12th, South America ranked 6th, and Africa, Asia, and North America all ranked 4th. Inter Miami essentially ranks fifth in North America because they qualify as hosts. Oceania took one spot.
Hosted by Italian World Cup winner and former Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero, the draw included a recorded message from US President-elect Donald Trump.
“This is going to be a really great event,” Trump said. “I will try to be there.”
Club World Cup Draw:
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
This article used information from Reuters and Associated Press.
