In a draw held this Thursday (5) in Miami, in the United States, the groups for the FIFA Club World Cup (International Football Federation) were defined, which will take place between June and July 2025, in the United States.
Among the four Brazilians present in the competition, Palmeiras, classified by winning the Copa Libertadores in 2021, fell into group A, alongside Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, Porto and Al Ahly.
Current champion of the Libertadores and the only Brazilian who did not enter as seed in the tournament, Botafogo is in group B, considered the group of death due to the presence of two major Europeans —Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid—, in addition to the Seattle Sounders.
Flamengo, winner of the Libertadores in 2022, is in group D, with Chelsea, León and Espérance Sportive de Tunis. And Fluminense, continental champion in 2023, was in group F, with Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Among the other South Americans, River Plate, classified via the Conmebol ranking (South American Football Confederation), is in group E and plays in the first phase with Internazionale de Milan, Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds.
Boca Juniors, also guaranteed by the ranking, was in group C, also with two Europeans —Bayern Munich and Benfica— and Auckland City.
In group G, there are Manchester City, Juventus, Wydad and Al Ain. And in group H, Real Madrid, Al Hilal, FC Salzburg and Pachuca.
The four teams in each group face each other in a single round, with the two best advancing to the round of 16. In the event of a tie on points, direct confrontation, goal difference and goals scored, in that order, will be the tiebreaker criteria considered.
The knockout phase will be a single game. In case of a draw, the matches go to extra time and penalties.
The inaugural match takes place on June 15th, at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami. The final is scheduled for July 13, at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey. There will be no third place competition.
The 63 World Cup matches will be played in 12 stadiums, in 11 cities in the United States.
Despite the favoritism of the European giants with star-studded squads, former striker Élber, who was present at the draw as a representative of Bayern Munich, believes that the Brazilians and South Americans have the capacity to make a good contribution to the tournament.
“Following Brazilian and South American football, the clubs are doing well, and I don’t think they’re going to do badly. There’s a good chance that a South American club will come to their heads,” said Élber in an interview with CazéTV.
“Bayern will come with full force, we can’t give up. We want to go as far as we can, if possible in the final”, said the former player, who played for the German club between 1997 and 2003, winning four German Championship cups , a Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup.
In total, there are six teams from South America, 12 from Europe and four from North, Central America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, each, in addition to one from Oceania. There is also a place allocated to the host country, reserved for Inter Miami.
Check out the World Cup groups below
Group A
Palm trees
Porto
Al Ahly
Inter Miami
Group B
Paris Saint-Germain
Atlético de Madrid
Botafogo
Seattle Sounders
Group C
Bayern Munich
Auckland City
Boca Juniors
Benfica
Group D
Flemish
Esperance Sportive de Tunis
Chelsea
León
Group E
River Plate
Urawa Red Diamonds
Monterrey
Milan International
Group F
Fluminense
Borussia Dortmund
Ulsan
Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G
Manchester City
Wydad
Al Ain
Juventus
Group H
Real Madrid
Al Hilal
Pachuca
FC Salzburg
