By JAMES COHEN
Published: 04:39 EST, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 04:39 EST, 3 December 2024
FIFA have confirmed the seedings for the 2025 Club World Cup draw, which is set to take place on Thursday afternoon.
The 2025 Club World Cup will be contested by 32 clubs from the six continental confederations and will be the first edition in this format to take place in the United States.
Chelsea and Manchester City will be the two English clubs competing in the tournament as a result of winning the Champions League in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG are also set to be involved in the tournament that will run from June 15 to July 13 next year.
Clubs from other continents that have qualified include Boca Juniors, River Plate and Al-Hilal.
Ahead of Thursday's draw, it's now been confirmed which pots that the teams are in and there could be some interesting match-ups on the way.
FIFA have confirmed the pots for 2025 Club World Cup draw set to take place on Thursday
Manchester City will be looking to retain their title after winning the competition last year
Unsurprisingly, Pot 1 boasts the best teams in the competition - with Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense all in there.
City are reigning champions of the competition after beating Brazilian outfit Fluminense 4-0 in the final last year.
Meanwhile, Chelsea find themselves in Pot 2 alongside Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Juventus and Salzburg.
The Blues managed to qualify for the competition due to the fact they are - along with City and Madrid - one of the last three teams to win the Champions League.
While they may have struggled in the years that followed their European success, they look to have finally found stability under new boss Enzo Maresca.
Meanwhile, Pot 3 and Pot 4 are made up of a number of teams from across the globe including Neymar's Al-Hilal and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
FIFA are poised to introduce a major rule change for the Club World Cup, according to reports.
As reported by Sky Sports, clubs will have to take their strongest squads to the tournament and field their strongest teams.
Enzo Maresca's (middle) Chelsea side are the other English team involved in the competition
Lionel Messi's (left) Inter Miami have been placed in Pot 4 ahead of the draw
Despite the gruelling schedule faced by players, FIFA will not allow any stars to miss the tournament, even though it will take place during the off season.
FIFA will let member associations of all participating teams open their transfer window from June 1-10 2025, which would enable new signings to be registered before the tournament starts on June 15.
Clubs will also be permitted to replace players between June 27 to July 3 within a set limit.
2025 CLUB WORLD CUP DRAW POTS
Pot 1
Manchester City (ENG)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Bayern Munich (GER)
PSG (FRA)
Flamengo (BRA)
Palmeiras (BRA)
River Plate (ARG)
Fluminense (BRA)
Pot 2
Chelsea (ENG)
Dortmund (GER)
Inter (ITA)
FC Porto (POR)
Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Benfica (POR)
Juventus (ITA)
Salzburg (AUT)
Pot 3
Al Hilal (SAU)
Ulsan HD (SOUTH COLOR)
Al Ahly (EGI)
Wydad Casablanca (MAR)
Monterrey (MEX)
Leon (MEX)
Boca Juniors (ARG)
Botafogo (BRA)
Pot 4
Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)
Al Ain (UAE)
Hope of Tunis (TUN)
Mamelodi Sundowns (AFR)
Pachuca (MEX)
Seattle Sounders (USA)
Auckland City (NZL)
Inter Miami (USA)