Chelsea to Face Flamengo, Man City Get Juventus in 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Draw
- The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw was done on Thursday in Miami, USA, with European giants relatively easy groups
- Chelsea will face Flamengo, Manchester City got Juventus, while Lionel Inter Miami were placed in Group A
- The revamped tournament features 32 teams from all over the world placed in eight groups of four teams
The draw for the new FIFA Club World Cup was conducted on Thursday, December 6, in Miami.
English giants Manchester City were drawn into the same group as Juventus, Chelsea got South American giants Flamengo, while Paris Saint-Germain are in the same group as Atletico Madrid.
Source: UGC
FIFA Club World Cup draw in full
FIFA released the full draw of the 32 teams from all over the world to compete in the revamped competition.
Manchester City and Chelsea are the only English representatives in the competition, while Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will represent Spain.
The 32 teams were placed in eight groups of four teams each.
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are in Group A alongside Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Porto), and Al Ahly (Egypt). Inter Miami's involvement caused an uproar among football fans and pundits.
Group C has French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo (Brazil), and Seattle Sounders (USA)
German giants Bayern Munich are in Group C alongside Benfica (Portugal), Boca Juniors (Argentina), and Auckland City (New Zealand).
In Group D, Chelsea will play Flamengo (Brazil), Chelsea (England), Club Leon (Mexico), and Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia). Here's how other groups look.
Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Inter Milan (Italy), CF Monterrey (Mexico), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan HD (South Korea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Group G: Man City (England), Juventus (Italy), Wydad AC (Morocco), Al Ain (UAE)
Group H: Real Madrid (Spain), FC Salzburg (Austria), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), CF Pachuca (Mexico)
What is the FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup will involve 32 teams from all over the world who will battle for the $100m prize fund for the winner, per Sports Illustrated.
The competition previously involved the top seven teams from every continent, but FIFA reimagined it with a controversial change. It will be played once every four years.
How do teams qualify?
Europe will be represented by 12 teams, with their spot decided by performances in the Champions League in the last four seasons. Therefore, the winners, Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid, qualified.
Others will qualify via the UEFA ranking system, and only two clubs per country can play.
Four teams each from Asia, Africa, North and Central America federation will qualification will be determined by their performances in continental club competition. South America got six spots, while Oceania got one.
When is the FIFA Club World Cup
The tournament, which will take place between June 15 and July 13, will be hosted by the USA, who also host the 2026 World Cup.
Messi's Inter Miami will open the competition with a clash against Al Ahly, per BBC.
2025 Club World Cup format
The tournament will follow a format similar to the men's and women's World Cup. After the group stage, the top two teams will progress to the knockout phase.
There will be no third-place playoff like the World Cup.
The tournament is facing several legal hurdles. Many footballers, pundits, and fans have raised concerns that more matches will strain the players.
For instance, after the final on July 13, there will be just five weeks before the 2025/26 Premier League season kicks off.
Inter Miami wins trophy
Legit.ng earlier reported that Messi led Inter Miami to the MLS Supports' Shield after beating Colombus Crew 3-2.
The Argentina icon bagged two goals and got his hands on his 46th career trophy.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
