Club World Cup: Man City, Real Madrid, Inter Miami learn games

Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn on Thursday in Group G for next year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States against Juventus, Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain.

Lionel Messi and MLS club Inter Miami are in Group A and face Al Ahly in the opening game of the expanded 32-team tournament before facing Porto and Palmeiras.

The tournament, which will feature top teams from around the world, will be held at 12 stadiums across the country from June 15 to July 13 and will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Strong clubs in this area include Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. The four best-placed teams from South America are also there: Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.

And Messi’s team receives the distinction of playing the first game as representatives of the host country. It will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

“It’s about inclusivity, it’s about bringing together clubs from all over the world, the 32 best clubs and the best players from all over the world,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Other opening games include: Paris Saint-Germain versus Atlético Madrid and Botafogo play in Seattle in Group B; Monterrey vs. Inter Milan in Group E; and Real Madrid face Saudi club Al-Hilal in Group H – a showdown of superstars, with Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid and possibly Neymar for Al-Hilal.

Manchester City won the last Club World Cup in the old format in 2023 and sits fourth in the Premier League after being hit hard by injuries to key players such as Spanish midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

City, who won an unprecedented fourth consecutive English Premier League title this year, face Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain in the opening game before facing Juventus in the group stage.

Miami was the second-to-last team entered in the tournament, having won the Supporters’ Shield for first place in 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 the nearly 30-year evolution of our league. Now being able to play in our country against the best in the world is super exciting.”

Brazilian club Botafogo secured the final spot in the tournament just last week by winning their first Copa Libertadores title.

Chelsea will play Leon in Group D before taking on Flamengo and Esperance, while Group F consists of Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns.

The club competition is based on the traditional 32-team format used in the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robin groups of four teams were drawn on Thursday, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the 16-team knockout round.

Europe received 12 spots and South America six, putting them at the top, while Africa, Asia and North America each took four spots – with Inter Miami essentially finishing a fifth spot ahead of North America due to its host status. Oceania got a place.

The draw, conducted by Italian World Cup winner and former Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero, included a recorded message from US President-elect Donald Trump.

“The event will be incredible. I’ll try to be there. If I can, I would, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.

Club World Cup draw:

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético 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.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.