The new 32-team competition, championed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, will be hosted in the United States next summer.
Manchester City won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023 (PA Wire)
Manchester City won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023 (PA Wire) (PA Archive)
Premier League champions Manchester City will face Juventus, Moroccan side Wydad AC and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the opening group stage of FIFA’s controversial Club World Cup, while Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo, Mexicans Club Leon and Esperance Tunis.
The new 32-team competition, to be hosted in the United States next summer, has been championed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino – but is the subject of two legal challenges in Europe, which both involve players’ union FIFPRO.
City and Chelsea qualified as 2023 and 2021 Champions League winners respectively, but were kept apart in the draw for the group stage as part of FIFA’s complicated regional constraints.
Pep Guardiola’s side will play Casablanca outfit Wydad in their opening Group G fixture before taking on Al Ain and finish against Italian giants Juve.
Chelsea start in Group D against Club Leon, then play Flamengo and Esperance 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.
Should both English clubs progress to the knockout stages as group winners, they would go into opposite sides of the draw and would then not meet until the final.
Fifa Club World Cup draw
Group 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