Manchester City will play Juventus, and the Seattle Sounders will face PSG and Atlético Madrid, in the inaugural Club World Cup, which began to take shape at a draw Thursday in Miami.
The 32 participating clubs learned their group-stage opponents for the 2025 tournament, which kicks off June 15, and will be played at 12 stadiums across the United States.
The other U.S. team involved, Inter Miami, drew Palmeiras from Brazil, Porto from Portugal, and Al Ahly from Egypt in Group A.
On paper, to some, it looked like a winnable group for Lionel Messi and Co., whom FIFA essentially gifted a spot in the tournament, likely to elevate its marketability. But the Group A draw also opened up FIFA’s worst-case scenario: a group-stage exit for Miami without a high-profile matchup.
The Club World Cup is a novel venture organized and championed by FIFA, one that the global governing body desperately wants to succeed. For years, it’s been riddled with uncertainty. But with a broadcaster recently secured, and now with the draw complete, it can charge ahead toward liftoff.
At the draw, the 32 teams — 12 from Europe, six from South America, five from North and Central America, four apiece from Asia and Africa, one from Oceania — were placed into eight groups, much like national teams have been at FIFA’s original, uber-popular World Cup.
They were, though, seeded and subject to certain “constraints,” which preempted the formation of a classic “group of death.”
The toughest group is probably Seattle’s, Group B, with South American champion Botafogo joining PSG, Atlético Madrid and the Sounders.
Another intriguing threesome appeared in Group C, which features Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors. But the fourth team, Auckland City from New Zealand, is widely assumed to be the worst in the 32-team field.
The weakest groups are probably Chelsea’s and Borussia Dortmund’s. Chelsea is joined in Group D by Flamengo from Brazil, León from Mexico and Espérance from Tunisia. Dortmund was drawn into Group F with Fluminense from Brazil, Ulsan from South Korea, and Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa.
The full groups are below, followed by a recap of Yahoo Sports’ live coverage.
The entire 2025 Club World Cup schedule — complete with dates, locations and perhaps kickoff times — is expected to be finalized and released in the coming hours or days.
Full 2025 Club World Cup draw
GROUP A
1. Palmeiras (Brazil)
2. Porto (Portugal)
3. Al Ahly (Egypt)
4. Inter Miami (U.S.)
GROUP B
1. PSG (France)
2. Atlético Madrid (Spain)
3. Botafogo (Brazil)
4. Seattle Sounders (U.S.)
GROUP C
1. Bayern Munich (Germany)
2. Auckland City (New Zealand)
3. Boca Juniors (Argentina)
4. Benfica (Portugal)
GROUP D
1. Flamengo (Brazil)
2. Espérance (Tunisia)
3. Chelsea (England)
4. León (Mexico)
GROUP E
1. River Plate (Argentina)
2. Urawa Reds (Japan)
3. Monterrey (Mexico)
4. Inter Milan (Italy)
GROUP F
1. Fluminense (Brazil)
2. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
3. Ulsan (South Korea)
4. Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
GROUP G
1. Manchester City (England)
2. Wydad (Morocco)
3. Al Ain (UAE)
4. Juventus (Italy)
GROUP H
1. Real Madrid (Spain)
2. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
3. Pachuca (Mexico)
4. RB Salzburg (Austria)
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER27 updates
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FIFA president Infantino and “Fenômeno” reveal the prize
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