Draw reveals Madrid, Boca, City, Miami CWC spots
Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn with Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain on Thursday in Group G for next year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Lionel Messi and MLS side 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 are fourth in the Premier League after being hit hard by injuries to key players such as Spain midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
City, who this year won an unprecedented fourth straight English Premier League 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 Saint-Germain, who this year won a third consecutive French top-flight title, are in Group B with Atlético 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.
Club World Cup draw:
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico 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.
