Groups for the Club World Cup 2025 announced as heavyweights are pitted with each other in its first edition.
Groups have been announced for the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.
Defending champions Next summer, Chelsea will play Flamengo of Brazil, while Manchester City will play Juventus in the Fifa Club World Cup group stage.
In addition to playing Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in Group G. Pep Guardiola’s City, who defeated Brazilian team Fluminense to win the competition for the first time in 2023. They will start their title defence against Wydad of Morocco.
Chelsea is the 2021 final winners. They were also placed in Group D with Club Leon of Mexico and Esperance Sportive de Tunisie of Tunisia.
Next year, from June 15 to July 13, the United States will host the redesigned FIFA Club World Cup, which has been extended to 32 teams.
A new Club World Cup trophy was unveiled following a convoluted and drawn-out draw ceremony that took place over 90 minutes ago at two different venues in Miami.
Additionally, the first team was drawn by a video greeting from Donald Trump. The future US president, whose daughter Ivanka was included.
The first game will be played in Miami. It will pit Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Al Ahly of Egypt at Hard Rock Stadium.
In other news, Bayern Munich will play Benfica in another all-European group-stage match. Paris St-Germain and Atletico Madrid were placed in Group B.
Teams will play each other once in the group phase and the top two will progress to the knockout stage.
Twelve European clubs, the most of any confederation, will be among the teams from each of the six worldwide football confederations that will compete in the tournament next summer.
The Champions League results from the previous four seasons determined the clubs’ spots in Europe. Recent winners Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid were assured spots.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates and the older brother of City owner Sheikh Mansour, is the owner of Al Ain, the most successful team in the country with 14 league titles.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal, who presently have Neymar on their roster, will be the first opponent for Real Madrid. The latter won the Fifa Club World Cup trophy for a record-tying sixth time in 2022.