African clubs drew tough groupings for next year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
African champions Al Ahly were drawn in Group A where they will face Brazilian side SE Palmeiras, Portugal’s FC Porto of Portugal, and American side Inter Miami CF, who are the tournament hosts.
Al Ahly will play Inter Miami in the tournament’s opening match at Hard Rock Stadium on June 15. After that they will play FC Porto on June 19 and Palmeiras on June 23.
In Group D, Espérance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia is alongside Brazilian giants Flamengo, two-time European champions Chelsea of England, and Mexico’s Club León.
Espérance’s first game will be against Flamengo on June 17. The Tunisian side will then play Club León and Chelsea on June 21 and June 25, respectively.
South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns are in Group F with another Brazilian team, Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund of Germany, and Ulsan HD of South Korea.
Sundowns will get their campaign underway against Ulsan HD on June 18, then play Fluminense on June 22 and Borussia Dortmund on June 26.
Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco is in Group G with reigning English champions Manchester City, current Asian champions Al Ain of United Arab Emirates, and Italian powerhouse Juventus.
Manchester City awaits Wydad in their first group game on June 16. The Moroccan club will then face Al Ain on June 20 and wrap up against Juventus on June 24.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds. The final will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on July 13.
No African team has ever won the FIFA Club World Cup. The best finish by a side from the continent was in 2010 and 2013 when TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Raja Casablanca of Morocco finished as runners-up behind Inter Milan (Italy) and Bayern Munich (Germany), respectively.
Adding {{itemName}} to cart
Added {{itemName}} to cart
