CLUB WORLD CUP
World Cup winners heading to FIFA Club World Cup 2025
The biggest stars from across the planet football will meet in the USA this June, as the newly formatted FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ gets underway. With 22 FIFA World Cup™ winners set to compete at the event, we look through those aiming to
Group A
Inter Miami, who qualified via the sole host nation slot, will bring two world champions to the finals. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi enjoyed a historic campaign at Qatar 2022, taking home the adidas Golden Ball as La Albiceleste lifted the trophy for the first time in 36 years. He will be joined by Sergio Busquets, who helped Spain to their maiden title at South Africa 2010.
Group B
A trio of PSG stars helped France to lift the World Cup at Russia 2018. Lucas Hernandez played in every game at the tournament, while Ousmane Dembele featured four times, with the pair also part of the squad which reached the final at Qatar 2022. Presnel Kimpembe made his sole global finals appearance in Russia in a group-stage draw with Denmark.
No team heading to the tournament can boast a higher number of world champions than Atletico Madrid. Antoine Griezmann and Thomas Lemar were both part of the victorious France team of 2018, with Griezmann scoring in the final win over Croatia en route to the adidas Silver Ball and adidas Bronze Boot. Julian Alvarez, Angel Correa, Rodrigo De Paul and Nahuel Molina all played their part in Argentina’s win in Qatar to take Los Rojiblancos’ total of World Cup winners to an unsurpassed six.
Group C
The Germany squad which took home the first world title since the nation’s reunification at Brazil 2014 contained seven Bayern players. Two remain with the Bavarian giants, in the shape of Thomas Muller and captain Manuel Neuer.
Portuguese giants Benfica will be led at the Club World Cup by two Argentina icons. Angel Di Maria, who retired from international duty with 145 caps after winning last year’s Copa America, netted the second goal in the nation’s final victory over France in 2022. Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, meanwhile, played every minute in Qatar and is still adding to his 123 caps.
Group D
Argentinian Enzo Fernandez is enjoying his best season at Chelsea since his then-British-record £106.8m transfer to the Blues from Benfica. That move came following his standout performances at Qatar 2022, which saw him win the FIFA Young Player Award.
Group E
Three members of the reigning world champions’ squad are currently playing their football in their homeland for River. Backup goalkeeper Franco Armani has been with the South American giants since 2018, and has since been joined by full-backs Marcos Acuna and German Pezzella.
At Russia 2018, defender Benjamin Pavard etched his name into the hearts of World Cup watchers across the globe when he scored the Goal of the Tournament in a 4-3 win over Argentina, en route to France’s success. Four years later, Lautaro Martinez helped La Albiceleste claim revenge over their European counterparts in the Qatar decider.
Group H
Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe burst on to the international scene in 2017. Just over 12 months later, he was a world champion and the first teenager to score in the final since Pele. At Qatar 2022, he made further showpiece history, becoming just the second player, and the first for 56 years, to net a World Cup final hat-trick.
Four African sides — Al Ahly (Egypt), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), and Wydad AC (Morocco) — have been drawn into competitive groups alongside some of the biggest names in world football following Thursday’s draw for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
The draw for the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup 2025, held in Miami, USA, has set the stage for thrilling encounters, with African clubs facing challenging fixtures as they aim to make their mark on the global stage.
Al Ahly, the record TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winners, find themselves in Group A alongside Brazil’s SE Palmeiras, FC Porto of Portugal, and Inter Miami CF.
Their opening game against Inter Miami, the tournament hosts, promises to be a spectacle at the Hard Rock Stadium, kicking off the competition.
Espérance Sportive de Tunis, representing Tunisia, were placed in Group D, where they will take on South American powerhouse CR Flamengo, English giants Chelsea, and Mexico’s Club León.
Espérance face a monumental challenge to advance from what as been termed as the “Group of Death.”
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, a team known for their vibrant attacking football, will compete in Group F. They face Brazil’s Fluminense, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, and South Korea’s Ulsan HD. Sundowns will need their best form to progress.
Wydad AC of Morocco, the reigning CAF Champions League champions, are in Group G, matched against European treble winners Manchester City, UAE’s Al Ain, and Italy’s Juventus.
The Moroccan giants will be aiming to replicate their continental dominance on the global stage.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout rounds, with the final scheduled at MetLife Stadium in New York on 13 July.
Club World Cup Groups:
Group A
- SE Palmeiras (BRA)
- FC Porto (POR)
- Al Ahly FC (EGY)
- Inter Miami CF (USA)
Group B
- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
- Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
- Botafogo (BRA)
- Seattle Sounders FC (USA)
Group C
- FC Bayern München (GER)
- Auckland City FC (NZL)
- CA Boca Juniors (ARG)
- SL Benfica (POR)
Group D
- CR Flamengo (BRA)
- Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
- Chelsea FC (ENG)
- Club León (MEX)
Group E
- CA River Plate (ARG)
- Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)
- CF Monterrey (MEX)
- FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)
Group F
- Fluminense FC (BRA)
- Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- Ulsan HD (KOR)
- Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA)
Group G
- Manchester City (ENG)
- Wydad AC (MAR)
- Al Ain FC (UAE)
- Juventus FC (ITA)
Group H
- Real Madrid C. F. (ESP)
- Al Hilal (KSA)
- CF Pachuca (MEX)
- FC Salzburg (AUT)
-CAF
Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn on Thursday with Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain in Group G for next year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Lionel Messi and Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami are in Group A and will face Al Ahly in the opening match of the expanded 32-team tournament before games against Porto and Palmeiras.
The tournament, featuring top teams from around the world, will be held in 12 stadiums around the country from June 15-July 13 and serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S. Mexico and Canada.
Manchester City won the most recent Club World Cup in 2023 under the old format and sit 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 this year won an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, will face Wydad AC in their opening match and Al Ain before closing out the group stage against Juventus.
Miami were the penultimate team added to the tournament after winning the “Supporters’ Shield” for finishing top of the MLS standings in the regular season before losing in the first round of the MLS playoffs last month.
European champions Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg in Group H while Bayern Munich were placed in Group C along with Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica.
Three-times European champions Inter Milan landed in Group E along with River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds and Monterrey while Paris St Germain, who this year won a third consecutive French top-flight title, are in Group B with Atletico Madrid, Botafogo and Seattle Sounders.
Brazilian side Botafogo only secured the final spot in the tournament last week by winning their first Copa Libertadores title.
Chelsea will begin Group D play against Leon before facing Flamengo and Esperance, while Group F is made up of Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The draw, conducted by Italian World Cup winner and former Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero, included a recorded message from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in which he complimented FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“The event is going to be incredible. I will try and be there. If I can I would, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
“But I just want to say you’re led by a man named Gianni. I just know him as Gianni and he’s a winner and he’s the president, and I’m the president.
“We’ve known each other a long time, and I’m so honored to have this kind of a relationship because soccer is going through the roof. As everybody knows, it’s been doing fantastically well … and it really is taking over the United States in terms of the sport.”
-Reuters
Lionel Messi and Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami were awarded a spot in next year’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday and will host the opening game of the 32-team tournament featuring top clubs from around the world.
Miami, who won their first MLS Supporters’ Shield this month as the club with the most points in the regular season, are the penultimate team added to the June 15-July 13 tournament being held around the United States.
“Congratulations on your wonderful 2024 Supporters’ Shield success. You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field of play,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a news release.
“Therefore, I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the host club representing the United States.”
The United States were always set to have a host club in the tournament, but rather than award the spot to the winner of the Dec. 7 MLS Cup final, FIFA determined the Supporters’ Shield winner recognises consistent performance over a 34-game season.
FIFA announced Miami’s addition to the Club World Cup after they broke MLS’s regular-season points record with a 6-2 win over New England Revolution to reach 74 points. New England had set the previous record in 2021 with 73 points.
Messi made an instant impact when he joined Miami midseason last year, leading them to a Leagues Cup title, yet was unable to deliver enough magic to help his new club overcome their early season results and make the playoffs.
But in Messi’s first full MLS season, Miami wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield and top playoff seed in early October with two regular season matches remaining.
The Argentine great missed nearly half the 2024 season due to injuries and national team duties but made the most of his playing time with 20 goals in 19 games, including a hat trick during an 11-minute span late in the second half on Saturday.
The final Club World Cup team will be given to the winner of the Nov. 30 CONMEBOL Libertadores final in Buenos Aires.
Seattle Sounders are the only other MLS side in the Club World Cup after having earned their place by beating Mexican side Pumas in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final.
-Reuters
- AFCON1 week ago
Again, CAF’s axe falls on Libya over Africa Cup of Nations misconduct
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Finidi George ends 2024 with a red card!
- AWARDS1 week ago
Aspire Academy honours founding Advisor, Zohair Ammar
- CHAN1 week ago
How Nigeria, Burkina and DRC advance to CHAN 2025
- CHAN3 days ago
CHAN: Ogunmodede invites 26 players as Eagles commence camping in Ikenne-Remo
- CHAN5 days ago
Breaking! Goal scorer, Sodiq Ismail and clubmate, Fatokun out of Nigeria’s CHAN squad
- Premier League4 days ago
Manchester United open “blacklist book”
- Premier League1 week ago
Man City beat lowly Leicester for first win in five league games