Manchester City will play Juventus in the group stages of next year’s expanded Fifa Club World Cup, while Chelsea will face Flamengo.
Also in City’s group are Moroccan side Wydad AC and Al Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates. Chelsea will also play Mexico’s Club Leon and Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Lionel Messi and 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 expanded Fifa Club World Cup will take place next summer in cities across the United States and with no fewer than 32 teams taking part across almost a month of action - something several players have already spoken out against in an increasingly congested line of work.
The inaugural group stage draw was held in Miami and was excruciatingly long in duration - well over 90 minutes. It featured appearances from Donald Trump and Ronaldo Nazario, who unveiled a new Club World Cup trophy alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino
The Club World Cup will feature eight groups of four, with the top two going into the round of 16. You can find out all the groups, below.
Fifa Club World Cup group stage draw - live
- Club World Cup draw in full ahead of next summer’s tournament
- Man City in Group G alongside Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain FC
- Chelsea in Group D with Flamengo, Leon and Esperance Sportive de Tunis
- New trophy revealed for expanded competition
The draw is complete
19:38 , Jamie BraidwoodGroup A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Benfica, Boca Juniors
Group D: Flamengo, Chelsea, Club Leon, Esperance Sportive de Tunis
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, CF Monterrey, Inter
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain FC, Juventus
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, CF Pachuca, FC Salzburg
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:39 , Jamie BraidwoodAfter 90 minutes (plus some stoppage time) - the draw for the Club World Cup is complete.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:32 , Jamie BraidwoodTwo teams left.
And Manchester City’s group is complete. They will play Al Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates in Group G.
So a UAE derby?
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:29 , Jamie BraidwoodChelsea’s group is complete. They will play Esperance Sportive de Tunis from Tunisia in Group D.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:22 , Jamie BraidwoodOooh. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who have rather snuck their way into the Club World Cup despite not winning the MLS, or the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Messi’s Inter Miami go into Group A. They will open the tournament against Al Ahly, on June 15.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:20 , Jamie BraidwoodThe groups so far. Please end soon, please.
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo
Group C: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Boca Juniors
Group D: Flamengo, Chelsea, Club Leon
Group E: River Plate, CF Monterrey, Inter
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Juventus
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, FC Salzburg
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:18 , Karl MatchettAs this draw is now actually going to go on longer than an actual match at the competition, I’m going to hand you over to my colleague Jamie for the remainder of the draw and the Pot 4 teams and whatever else Fifa have in store for us. It really has been a treat.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:16 , Karl MatchettAfrican champions Wydad Casablanca AC go into Group G with Man City and Juventus. They’ll be Man City’s first opponents in the group.
That leaves just Al Hilal for Pot 3 and they go into Group H with Real Madrid and Salzburg. Get your tickets ready for that match.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:14 , Karl MatchettOn we go, on and on and on.
CF Monterrey are out next, the Mexicans into Group E with Inter and River Plate.
Ulsan HD are into Group F with Fluminense and Dortmund.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:10 , Karl MatchettPot 3.
Botafogo into Group B.
Al Ahly FC into Group A.
Boca Juniors into Group C.
Club Leon into Group D - that’s Chelsea’s group.
Infantino claims 4 million fans will travel to the US for the Club World Cup and 5 billion people will watch it on TV... sounds slightly ambitious to me
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) December 5, 2024
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
19:02 , Karl MatchettWe’ve been at it an hour and we’ve managed 16 teams out of the hat. Thankfully this intense schedule takes a break for some more video tributes as DJ Khaled, Will Ferrell, Hugh Jackman and a bunch of others who won’t be playing this summer get a few seconds in the sun. To be honest if they stay at this much longer, De Bruyne, Messi and Modric might not be playing either because they’ll have retired by the time we wrap things up.
At least Teo has absolutely loved his evening and we’ve seen the palm of his right hand eight times.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:58 , Karl MatchettJuventus are drawn and Del Piero gives a knowing nod, as though he is simultaneously surprised by their presence in the draw and utterly sure they’ll do well in it.
They’re into Group G with Man City.
That leaves RB Salzburg (or FC Salzburg for those organisations who only acknowledge the existence of their own sponsors), who will be in Group H with Real Madrid.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:54 , Karl MatchettAtletico Madrid, Group B with PSG.
Benfica, Group C with Bayern Munich.
Inter Milan into Group E with River Plate.
Borussia Dortmund into Group F with Fluminense.
Here’s Gloria Estefan drawing Real Madrid out of a hat, bet you thought you’d never see it in this lifetime.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:48 , Karl MatchettCubilas gets us underway with Pot 2 and first out is Porto. We go to the other stage - the Maxi Rodriguez, Wenger etc stage - and he draws the group for them. A2, so in with Palmeiras. Groups getting done in a whole other area.
Cubilas is very excited by his role, swirling balls around and then showing us an open hand bereft of balls before dipping back in to pick up his selection.
Chelsea are out next and Wenger puts them in Group D with Flamengo.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:42 , Karl MatchettRiver Plate into Group E, Fluminense into Group F.
Manchester City are the first Premier League side out and they’re into Group G.
Flamengo go Group D, Real Madrid into Group C, which leaves Bayern Munich heading into Group C as the last of the pot 1 teams.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:38 , Karl MatchettIvanka Trump is now on stage. This is a lot of people across two stages. The first ball is picked out and we’re underway with the draw which I’m going to be honest with you, has been a ridiculous shambles until now.
ANYWAY.
Palmeiras are out and into Group A.
PSG are out next and they are in Group B. That’s how we proceed.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:34 , Karl MatchettOk on stage we’ve now also got Leotta Diletta, Teofilo Cubillas and a couple of others on stage...and then we cut to another stage entirely elsewhere which looks like they are doing the actual draw. Odd. Arsene Wenger, Youri Djorkaeff, Maxi Rodriguez and others are there to do that side.
Also, Del Piero welcomed people on stage with the comment of “another wave of immigrants,” which ...could be interpreted in several ways.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:28 , Karl MatchettRight, Alessandro del Piero is on stage. “Here’s how it will work,” he says, and a video starts.
We’re getting rules now, Americanized explanations but still rules for the draw, so presumably after half an hour we’re getting to why we’re here.
Pots are detailed, including who can and can’t be drawn together - if you missed it earlier, we’ve explained it below.
No clubs from same nation in each group and so on.
Pot 1 teams go into groups A-H first, then constraints over seedings, Uefa-Conmebol pairings and so on.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:25 , Karl MatchettHere, get as excited as Gianni over the Golden Reveal.
The unveiling of the new FIFA Club World Cup trophy. 🏆👀@FIFACWC | June 15 - July 13 | watch for free exclusively on https://t.co/2p9YPKh0hM | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/PlHcvlKJUc
— DAZN Sport (@DAZN_Sport) December 5, 2024
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:24 , Karl MatchettOh, there’s more. The trophy comes with a key. Infantino puts the key in the trophy and...it sort of opens up and spins into two pieces. Splendid craftsmanship no doubt.
Do we even need the football? Let’s just have a month’s worth of talking and back-patting and name-dropping and showing off amounts of money, that would be just magnificent.
Infantino is genuinely excellent at each of those after all.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:21 , Karl MatchettAha, some relevance. A new trophy is being unveiled! Gianni Infantino left the stage about 30 seconds ago, now he comes back on stage with Ronaldo - the real one - to unveil the trophy.
A dark cover is lifted off and the new Club World Cup trophy is displayed - it’s pretty big, very round and looks to be engraved with different areas of the world and a lot of other stuff.
“This is completely new trophy and I’ve asked why they didn’t do this one before! It’ll be amazing, 32 teams to be the best, big money for the clubs and this beautiful trophy. For the captains to lift it will be tough!” Ronaldo says.
“It’s a unique, iconic trophy,” Infantino says. “Different languages, the history is written there, the moon positions of the first matches and names of all clubs and confederations - everything is engraved for entenity.”
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:17 , Karl MatchettNow the promo video, the intro with teams and goals and all that jazz, with a dramatic voice overlay telling us what to expect. New rivalries will be forged, places in history will be claimed. A star studded cast battling for eternal glory. So on and so forth.
Honestly, we’ll be there soon with the actual draw. Presumably.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:14 , Karl MatchettOh my word. Infantino introduces a special video which starts with...Donald Trump.
“I know him as ‘Johnny’, he’s a winner and a president, I’m a president, soccer is going through the roof as everyone knows. Barron is a very big fan and a very good player,” the incoming US chief tells us.
“I was very responsible in getting [the World Cup],” he adds.
Back on stage, Infantino thanks Ivanka Trump and family for being in place.
Perhaps we’ll get to the football shortly.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:11 , Karl Matchett“Something was missing,” Infantino says. “Something to show us who the best club in the world is.”
Isn’t that what the InterContinental Cup was for and all the smaller versions of this competition? Apparently not.
“Now we have it,” he assures us.
Infantino thanks DAZN - the broadcasters for the competition - for their “historic” agreement. The matches will all be screened live and free to air.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:10 , Karl MatchettWe have indeed started...with a music video highlighting Miami and Fifa. “Football unites the world” appears to be one of the big messages, along with Fifa knows how to party. Great stuff, really top.
Emilio Estefan, a Cuban-American producer who was involved with the video, is on stage to explain...well, why it happened.
Samantha Johnson is our host and she’s getting us properly underway now, inviting Gianni Infantino on stage to talk about “the Miami vibe”. “Football or soccer, call it as you want,” he invites us. Magical.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:05 , Karl MatchettA quick reminder of the clubs, their pots and all the badges you never knew you needed to know.
A reminder of the pots before the #FIFACWC draw. 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/YJgOepQFCS
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) December 5, 2024
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
18:03 , Karl MatchettFifa assure us their programme for the draw will start at 18.00 which is great, but also not so great, as that has already come and gone without sign of a start.
Perhaps a sign of things to come in a tournament which is trying to force itself to be bigger than many hold it as.
In Europe, we should probably limit that too - South American sides and fans have long enjoyed participation and victory in this competition in all its guises, from the InterContinental Cup and the previous Club World Cup iteration and through to now.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
17:57 , Karl MatchettWe are just about there for go-time and the draw lies ahead of us. Will Fifa break with the usual trend and forgo video montages, self-congratulatory speeches and terrible one-liners that nobody thinks are funny?
They might, but we shouldn’t expect they will.
It is a football draw, after all.
New Club World Cup explained: Format, teams and why it’s controversial
17:53 , Karl MatchettThe first edition of Fifa’s new Club World Cup format will take place at the end of this season from 15 June until 13 July.
Football’s governing body has sought to ramp up interest in a competition that is currently considered little more than a footnote on the European campaign, with the Champions League winners often facing a trip across the globe against vastly undermatched opposition.
The last 11 iterations have been won by Europe’s representatives, with Brazilian club Corinthians interrupting the monopoly by beating Chelsea in 2012. Fifa is aiming to reignite interest, expanding the seven-team tournament into a controversial 32-team spectacle that will significantly impact competing clubs’ time for recovery.
Here’s everything you need to know.
New Club World Cup explained: Format, teams and why it’s controversial
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
17:45 , Karl MatchettFifa finally announced a first sponsor for its revamped Club World Cup a month ago in a deal that will brand video review checks at the tournament in the United States next year.
Chinese consumer electronics firm Hisense will have “branding appearing in the video operation room and on pitchside screens,” Fifa said in a statement, when match officials study key incidents in the 32-team tournament being played in 11 American cities from June 15 to July 13.
Though no previous Fifa tournament has had a sponsor for video reviews since the technology was approved before the men’s 2018 World Cup in Russia, Hisense was the official “VAR Screen Provider” for this year’s European Championship organised by Uefa in Germany.
Fifa did not specify the value of the deal sealed with Infantino at a signing ceremony in Shanghai.
Reviews of referee decisions in key incidents — for goals, penalty awards and red cards — can extend to at least two minutes, despite Fifa’s aim during trials in 2016 of completing checks in about 10 seconds.
Hisense first signed up as a Fifa sponsor for the 2018 World Cup and it renewed for the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
17:36 , Karl MatchettSo here are the rules around the upcoming draw, with them being somewhat similar to the ones used in the actual World Cup.
There will be either one or a maximum of two Uefa clubs in each group, and no other confederations will have more than one team per group.
Also, Uefa teams from the same country cannot be together - so no Man City v Chelsea in the group stage, for instance.
Once we get to the knockouts, it’s the winners of A, C, E and G paired with the runners-up of B, D, F and H. Obviously vice-versa too for the other side of the draw.
That, plus the seedings, means Uefa and Conmebol teams ranked 1-2 and 3-4 cannot meet each other until the semis if they win their groups.
We’ll also have Uefa sides ranked 5-8 definitely with Conmebol’s 1-4, and Uefa’s 9-12 will be in the same group as those ranked 1-4.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
17:27 , Karl MatchettProbably worth detailing where the rest of the games will be played too. Fifa have confirmed that 12 venues in 11 cities over the USA will be used for the competition:
- Rose Bowl, California
- MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
- Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Lumen Field, Seattle
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
- Camping World Stadium, Orlando
- Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando
- Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee
- TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Audi Field, Washington DC
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
17:18 , Karl MatchettHere’s the schedule (more or less) for the tournament itself:
The group stage runs from 15 June and should last about two weeks - we don’t quite have set dates yet.
There are eight groups of four and the top two go through to the knockouts, with the last 16 starting around the end of June/start of July, then quarters and semis to of course be played too.
And lastly, the final itself is on 13 July 2025, to be played at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Fifa Club World Cup group stage draw
17:12 , Jack Rathborn
Fifa finally agree massive $1bn broadcast deal for Club World Cup - one day before draw takes place
17:05 , Jack RathbornStreaming platform DAZN has agreed a worldwide deal to broadcast Fifa’s controversial Club World Cup free to air.
Club sources have previously expressed frustration and concern at Fifa’s failure to sell rights until now for next summer’s tournament in the United States, which has been the catalyst for legal actions against football’s world governing body from player unions and domestic leagues over its scheduling.
Reports in recent months have suggested Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) could purchase a one billion US dollar (£787.6m) stake in DAZN. The platform has done deals within the last year to screen the Saudi Pro League in some European territories, including the UK, as well as for the Riyadh Season boxing bouts and the Six Kings Slam tennis event in the Middle East kingdom.
Separately, Reuters cited reports saying the deal was worth $1bn and that it was only for this edition of the revamped tournament.
Fifa finally agree massive broadcast deal for Club World Cup - one day before draw
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
16:55 , Karl MatchettLet’s have a full rundown of all the teams involved then:
Uefa
Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Dortmund, Inter Milan, Benfica, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Red Bull Salzburg
Conmebol
Flamengo, Palmeiras, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, Boca Juniors
Caf
Ah Ahly, Wydad AC, Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns
Afc
Al Hilal, Ulsan HD, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain
Concacaf
Monterrey, Leon, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami
Ofc
Auckland City
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
16:45 , Jack RathbornSo we have 32 clubs, two of which are from the Premier League.
Manchester City and Chelsea both have bigger things to think about this week - midweek action where they both won, then big games immediately coming up at the weekend - but they are the representatives this summer who face a month of competitive action after the 2024/25 finishes.
Such is the price of success - they’re in as a result of winning the Champions League recently.
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
16:22 , Karl MatchettGood evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Club World Cup. Like the competition itself, we’ve expanded significantly: from merely covering the final to bringing you the draw in its entirety, as Fifa have decided 32 clubs need to be involved and the competition needs to last a month.
So here we are, six months and more before it starts, with pomp and ceremony and all the heart-stopping anticipation of whether your favourite former continental champions will be playing Porto, Ulsan or Al-Hilal.
