Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will open this year Club World Cup against the Egyptian club Al Ahly, as Kylian Mbappé and Neymar face off for Real Madrid and Al-Hilal.
Premier League champions Manchester city Juventus, Moroccan side Wydad AC and Al Ain stand out in the United Arab Emirates Group in the opening group stage of the controversial Fifa tournament, while Chelsea will take on giants Flamengo of Brazil, Leon of Mexico and Esperance Club of Tunis.
The new 32-player competition, which will take place next summer in the United States, has been championed by Fifa President Gianni Infantino, but is the subject of two legal challenges in Europe, both of which involve the Fifpro players’ union. The draw for the competition in Miami took place on Thursday.
The city and Chelsea The Champions League winners were eligible for both 2023 and 2021, but were excluded from the competition stage as part of Fifa’s complex regional tie-up.
Guardiola’s side will play Casablanca Wydad in their opening Group G fixture before taking on Al Ain and finishing against the Italian giants Juventus. Chelsea will start playing in Group D against Club Leon, as well as Flamengo and Esperance Tunis. If both English clubs advance to the knockout stage as winners of the group stage, they would draw in opposite directions and then not meet until the final.
The tournament will be held in the US from June 15 to July 13, using 12 stadiums in 11 different cities. The final will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the same stadium that will play host to the 2026 World Cup final.
Messi’s Between Miamias a representative of the nation’s military, they have the distinction of being the first to play at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
“It’s inclusiveness, bringing up clubs from all over the world, 32 of the best clubs and the best players from all over the world together,” Infantino said on Thursday.
Among the Miami selection widely panned by criticswho see the team’s inclusion as Messi’s way of crowning the tournament. Criticism is only aimed at Miami being kicked out of the playoffs this season despite having the highest regular season standings.
Major League Soccer has two teams in the tournament: Seattle and Inter Miami. The Sons qualified for the Concacaf Champions League, and Inter Miami qualified as a representative of the host nation.
“There is no rule that says the winner of the MLS Cup is in the Club World Cup,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said. “There is no difference except that I think it will be the best to showcase, the best of our league. I support the decision that Fifa has made and am excited to treat Miami and Seattle in the global media and show it around the world.
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Other opening matchups include Paris Saint-Germain v Atlético Madrid and Brazilian club Botafogo playing in Seattle in Group B as well as Real Madrid versus Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in Group H – a showcase of superstars, with Mbappé for Real Madrid and Neymar for Al-Hilal.
The club’s competition uses the traditional format of 32 teams that have won the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robins of four teams were drawn on Thursday, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
Europe got 12 spots and South America got six, while Africa, Asia and North America all got four — with Inter Miami essentially getting a fifth from North America, since it has host state. Oceania got one place.
Round 2025 Club World Cup
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, International.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia, Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al-Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.