December 6 – In a televised event live from Miami, that featured a pre-recorded address from US president elect Donald Trump, FIFA’s Club World Cup has completed its group draw stage, the first-ever for its 32-team format.
Current Club World Cup champions Manchester City will face Juventus in Group G, while 2022 champions Real Madrid have an easier looking schedule in group H with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal potentially their biggest rivals at the opening stage.
Chelsea, winners in 2021, face Brazilian giants Flamengo, as well as Mexico’s Club Leon and Tunisian side Esperance Sportive de Tunisie in Group D.
Paris St Germain were matched with Atletico Madrid in Group B, while Bayern Munich meet Benfica in another all-European group-stage match-up.
Inter Miami will open the tournament against Egypt’s Al Ahly in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium, while their game will be followed by Seattle Sounders in action at the Lumen Stadium in Seattle against Brazil’s Botafogo.
The top two teams from the eight groups will qualify for the Round of 16. The tournament kicks of on June 15, finishing at the MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on Sunday, 13 July 2025.
Group draw:
Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Club Leon
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, 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
Sketch: Painfully brilliant, or a shameless sham
The draw presentation itself was very Latin American themed with a sprinkling of Italians in the audience and Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero acting as master of ceremonies (co-conductor in FIFA-speak).
Europe and its 12 teams, were conspicuous by the absence of big names from the biggest clubs in the world. Not even Real Madrid or Manchester City, the last two winners of the Club World Cup, had visible club or national representation, though they were both top-seeded in their groups.
But this was always planned as an entertainment show, with a bit of football thrown in – perhaps not unlike how the Club World Cup is currently shaping up.
Football knows how to do football and often does it very well. Football doesn’t do so well when it pretends to be general entertainment television and, like all such attempts, this draw stumbled along with a mix of painfully obvious commentary and awkward moments like Arsene Wenger being encouraged to dance in the ‘other’ draw studio – for some peculiar and unexplained reason FIFA ran the draw across two Miami locations. Clearly FIFA is big in Miami.
Form the start when FIFA president Gianni Infantino took the stage wearing a dazzling pair of white training shoes that outshone his famously shiny coiffeur, it was a show that was big on sparkle but thin on meaningful content bar the drawing of club names.
There were of course a few special moments with the unveiling of what is a truly spectacular trophy (no joke it, it really is) being one. It is a trophy that Infantino has had his name engraved on (again no joke, but amusingly true). ‘Damn right’, as the Americans say. Your ball, your tournament, your trophy – just don’t drop it.
The welcome from Donald Trump was an interesting choice. For a tournament that is being sold on its global inclusiveness, and worldly welcome, he wouldn’t be many people’s first choice as an opening act. But of course Trump is himself born of immigrant roots (Scottish) and until recently soccer was the sport predominantly played by immigrants in the country
But never mind the overthinking of the political optics, the love-in between Trump and his best pal Johnny (real name Gianni but the TV subtitles followed Trump’s naming convention) was a ‘Wow’ moment.
We know this because Johnny told us it was a ‘Wow’ with poppy eyes and schoolboy excitement. So excited he twice pointed out it was the president of the United States people. We had sort of recognised him, and most knew he was the president elect, on the way to being president in January, though it seems Johnny’s pulling power has already installed him.
Trump’s address was, well, Trumpian in thought and insight.
“I will try and be there if I can, I would. We’ll see what happens. But I just want to say you’re led by a man named Johnny (Gianni). I just know him as Johnny (Gianni) and he’s a winner and he’s the president, and I’m the president. And we’ve known each other a long time, and I’m so honored to have this kind of a relationship because soccer is going through the roof. As everybody knows, it’s been doing fantastically well…” said Trump.
“I want to say my highest regards in respect to Johnny (Gianni), and it’s an honor to be with you and we’ll be with you very soon. And we’re going to be watching the World Cup, very importantly, also very soon. And I was very responsible, along with Johnny (Gianni) in getting it. And it’s going to be a fantastic thing.”
Hang on, did Donald just say Johnny fixed the 2022 bidding process?
Heaven forbid FIFA would ever do such a ‘fantastic thing’.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1733477477labto1733477477ofdlr1733477477owedi1733477477sni@n1733477477osloh1733477477cin.l1733477477uap1733477477
News from North and Central America and the Caribbean
