Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami will kick off FIFA’s new 32-team Club World Cup when the Major League Soccer (MLS) side take on Egypt’s Al Ahly in the June 15 opener, the draw for the tournament revealed on Thursday.
Brazilian team Palmeiras and Portugal’s Porto complete Group A alongside Argentina World Cup winner Messi, whose Miami team were handed a spot by FIFA after finishing top of the regular season standings in MLS.
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, Brazilian Neymar, will have a reunion with La Liga rivals and European champions Real Madrid in Group H.
Twelve European clubs will feature in the tournament with Manchester City facing Juventus in Group G of the tournament, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino said would “start a new era in club football.”
“It’s about inclusivity, it’s about bringing clubs from all over the world, the 32 best clubs and best players from all over the world together,” Infantino said.
Paris Saint-Germain were drawn in a tough group with Atletico Madrid, Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo of Brazil and Seattle Sounders.
FIFA has had to deal with some skepticism over the need for the tournament and the chances of it capturing the imagination of fans, but there was plenty of support for the competition among those at the draw.
Club officials and former players gathered for Thursday’s draw and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sent his best wishes in a video message before the ceremony, which took place during a 90-minute live broadcast from a television studio in Miami.
“The event is going to be incredible,” said Trump in his message where he praised Infantino as a “winner.”
“We’ve known each other a long time and I’m so honoured to have this kind of relationship because soccer is going through the roof as everyone knows,” he added.
The U.S. will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Clubs supportive
Trump’s daughter Ivanka took part in the draw which was presented by former Juventus and Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero and featured celebrities such as model Adriana Lima.
The tournament will be held in the U.S. from June 15 to July 13, using 12 stadiums in 11 different cities. The final will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the same stadium that will play host to the 2026 World Cup final.
FIFA had struggled to find sponsors and broadcasters for the new tournament but on Wednesday announced a global deal with streaming company DAZN, who will show the games for free.
The world governing body has faced opposition from some in the game over the new tournament.
FIFpro and the European Leagues body filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.
Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.
But there was little but backing for the competition from the clubs and leagues who will be represented next year.
“We are very supportive of this tournament, We are excited,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also chairperson of the European Clubs Association.
Al-Khelaifi said the tournament was a better way for clubs to perform in the U.S. than in pre-season friendly tours and would help PSG to spread their brand.
There was also support from Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer and vice chair of the World Leagues Association.
“The tournament took time to generate all the interest that you are seeing here today,” said the American.
“Good things come to those that sort of put in the work and FIFA put in the work and we’re going to have lots of our stadiums involved,
“There are 100 million fans who follow what we call league (club) soccer and they’re going to be interested to see MLS teams and Mexican teams and see teams from all Europe, South America and the rest of the world, so I’m excited about it, I really am,” added Garber.
The club competition uses the traditional 32-team format used by the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robin groups of four teams each were drawn Thursday, with the top two from each group advancing to a knockout bracket of 16.
Europe got 12 spots and South America six to lead the field, while Africa, Asia and North America all got four – with Inter Miami essentially a fifth from North America since it has host status. Oceania got one spot.
The groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, 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.