Manchester City will head to the United States for the Club World Cup this month and the 32 teams have finally been finalised
LAFC fans celebrate a team goal against Club América
LAFC fans celebrate a team goal against Club América
Manchester City finally know every team they could face in the Club World Cup this summer after Club Leon were controversially replaced in the competition. The Mexican side were booted out after FIFA could not be satisfied that their ownership was removed enough from that of fellow competitor Pachuca in a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
That left the tournament organisers scrambling to fill the final place, and a play-off was whipped up between Mexican side Club America and MLS side Los Angeles FC. Club America took the lead with a second-half penalty, only to see LAFC equalise in the 89th minute before finding a winner in the 115th minute.
It means that LAFC, part-owned by Will Ferrell and Mia Hamm and boasting players including Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, and former City player Yaw Yeboah, have won the right to play in the Club World Cup, with their first game just over two weeks away. They are in Group D, alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and ES Tunis.
That is the opposite side of the draw to City, with the Blues in Group G with Juventus, Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain. That means that the earliest City could meet LAFC in the competition is the semi-final stage.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has signalled the club's intention to have as much transfer business done as possible before they start the tournament so that the new players can have time to gel ahead of the new season.
Al Mubarak wants Pep Guardiola and the players to put the disappointment of last season behind them and treat the summer tournament as a new beginning that they should be trying to go all the way in.
“As the defending champions coming into this new format, of course we’re very excited. We're very excited to come in as champions," Al Mubarak said.
"The format actually, I really like it. This is a very, very serious competition. In the summer, the whole world will be watching this.
"A big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament and I can assure you, we're going to give it our best shot. We're going there to win it.
"This is the beginning of the new season, not the continuation of last season. The team will take the rest that they will take right now, then they start pre-season and then immediately straight into the Club World Cup.”
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