The draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was held Thursday, with the 32 teams involved in next summer’s revamped competition finding out which groups they’ll be in.
European giants Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain face tricky tests in the opening round after they were each drawn into arguably the most difficult groups of the tournament.
Meanwhile, reigning Club World Cup champions Manchester City will like their chances of repeating. While they face at least one tricky test in the opening phase of the tournament after being lumped with Juventus, City should make it out of the group stage.
Defending Champions League winners Real Madrid were also drawn into a manageable group in their quest to win the Club World Cup for a record sixth time.
The groups in full:
Group A
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmeiras | Brazil |
| 2 | FC Porto | Portugal |
| 3 | Al Ahly | Egypt |
| 4 | Inter Miami | United States |
Group B
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | Spain |
| 3 | Botafogo | Brazil |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders | United States |
Group C
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 2 | Auckland City FC | New Zealand |
| 3 | Boca Juniors | Argentina |
| 4 | Benfica | Portugal |
Group D
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flamengo | Brazil |
| 2 | Esperance de Tunis | Tunisia |
| 3 | Chelsea | England |
| 4 | Leon | Mexico |
Group E
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Plate | Argentina |
| 2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | Japan |
| 3 | Monterrey | Mexico |
| 4 | Inter Milan | Italy |
Group F
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fluminense | Brazil |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| 3 | Ulsan HD | South Korea |
| 4 | Mamelodi Sundowns | South Africa |
Group G
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | England |
| 2 | Wydad AC | Morocco |
| 3 | Al Ain | United Arab Emirates |
| 4 | Juventus | Italy |
Group H
| POT | CLUB | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | Spain |
| 2 | Al-Hilal | Saudi Arabia |
| 3 | Pachuca | Mexico |
| 4 | Salzburg | Austria |
Tournament schedule and format
The monthlong tournament, staged in the United States, will begin June 15, 2025. A total of 12 U.S. venues will host the event’s 63 matches, with the final slated for Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on July 13.
The competition follows a tried-and-true formula: Upon the completion of the group stage, where each team plays three matches, the top two sides in each group advance to the round of 16. Every game will be single elimination from that point on until a champion is crowned.
The full match schedule and tournament bracket can be found here.