MIAMI — Egyptian giants Al-Ahly will kick off the 2025 Club World Cup against US side Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, with Brazil’s Palmeiras and Portugal’s Porto also in Group A for the tournament, set to be held in the USA.
The draw, held in Miami, revealed the first three opponents for all 32 teams in the newly expanded competition.
The tournament is scheduled to run from June 15 to July 13, using 12 stadiums across 11 cities in the US.
Al-Ahly will face tournament hosts Inter Miami on June 15 at the Hard Rock Stadium for their opening match.
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.
Among the powerhouse clubs in the field are: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. There´s also the four highest-ranked teams from South America: Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.
And Messi´s team, as a representative of the host nation, gets the distinction of playing the first match. It´ll happen at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“It´s about inclusivity, it´s about bringing clubs from all over the world, the 32 best clubs and best players from all over the world together,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said according to AP.
Some would argue it´s not the 32 “best” clubs. Inter Miami´s selection was widely panned by critics, the volume of that only rising after the team that won the Supporters Shield as the best MLS team in the regular season – with a record-setting point total – lost in Round 1 of the MLS Cup playoffs.
“There´s no controversy,” Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas said.
Major League Soccer got two teams: Seattle and Inter Miami. The Sounders qualified for the field, and Inter Miami was placed into it as the host nation´s representative.
Esperance 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 Leon.
Esperance face a monumental challenge to advance from what has 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, unbeaten in recent competitions, 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.
Other opening matchups include: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid and Brazilian club Botafogo playing at Seattle in Group B; Monterrey against Inter Milan in Group E; and Real Madrid faces the Saudi club Al-Hilal in Group H – a showdown of superstars, with Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid and Neymar for Al-Hilal.
The club competition uses the traditional 32-team format used by the World Cup from 1998 to 2022.
Eight round-robin groups of four teams each were drawn Thursday, with the top two from each group advancing to a knockout bracket of 16.
Europe got 12 spots and South America six to lead the field, while Africa, Asia and North America all got four – with Inter Miami essentially a fifth from North America since it has host status. Oceania got one spot.
“There is no rule that said the MLS Cup winner needs to be in the Club World Cup,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.
“I have no interest in anything other than what I think is going to be best for the showcase, best for our league. I am supportive of the decision that FIFA made and I´m excited to put Miami and Seattle in a global media deal and be shown around the world.”
Mas said Inter Miami getting the privilege of playing the opening match of the tournament at home is “a testament to our community, the soccer culture that´s here.”
“Who would have told us five years ago, with no club, that we´d be here at a draw with the best teams in the world,” Mas said. “That´s what we aspire to. That´s what we dream of.”
Following are the groups for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States:
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.
