Man City land Juventus and Chelsea get Flamengo as part of Club ...

Premier League champions Manchester City will face Juventus in the opening group stage of FIFA’s controversial Club World Cup, while Chelsea will take on Brazil giants Flamengo. 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 AC in their opening Group G fixture before taking on Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates and finish against Italian giants Juve. Chelsea start in Group D against Mexicans Club Leon, then play Flamengo and Esperance Tunis. 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. The draw in Miami proved a protracted affair, which also included a video message from President-elect Donald Trump. “The event is going to be incredible. I will try and be there if I can,” Trump said. “Gianni is a winner. He is a president and I am the president. We have known each other a long time. “Soccer is going through the roof, it has been doing very well. It really is taking over the United States as a sport. “We are also going to be watching the World Cup very soon. I was very responsible along with Gianni in getting it, and it is going to be a fantastic thing.” City beat Brazilian side Fluminense to win the Club World Cup in its previous format for the first time in 2023, while Chelsea won the 2021 final against Palmeiras. The tournament will kick off with an opening game featuring Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egyptians Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium on June 15. Inter Miami’s involvement as the host nation team is controversial in itself – with the Herons having won the regular-season Supporters Shield, but then missed out on being crowned Major League Soccer champions with defeat to Atlanta in the MLS Cup play-offs. Brazilians Palmeiras and Porto are also in Group A. There will be a European heavyweight clash between Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid in Group B, which also features Seattle Sounders and Brazilian club Botafogo. In Group C, Bayern Munich will take on Argentina giants Boca Juniors along with Benfica and Auckland City. Group E sees River Plate play Inter Milan, Japan side Urawa Red Diamonds and Mexicans Monterrey. In Group F, Brazilians Fluminense meet Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan of Korea and South African team Mamelodi Sundowns. Group H will see European champions Real Madrid face Salzburg, Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal and Pachuca of Mexico. The Club World Cup final is set to be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13. Despite the backing of FIFA president Infantino, the expanded tournament has caused plenty of concern. FIFA has been accused of failing to consult adequately with player unions and leagues on the international fixture calendar – with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters describing the introduction of the new club competition as the “tipping point”. Unions’ concerns centre chiefly on player welfare, with those based in Europe who go deep into the tournament set to be afforded very little time to properly rest and recover before the 2025-26 domestic seasons begin. Players themselves have also spoken out. Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri warned players were “close” to considering strike action over the congested calendar, with UEFA’s club competitions now also taking up more space. FIFA also did not confirm a broadcast partner for the tournament until the day before the draw, with streaming platform DAZN agreeing a worldwide free-to-air deal. However, while the competition is viewed sceptically by some in Europe, in other continents the level of enthusiasm is much higher. Al Hilal chief executive Esteve Calzada described the Club World Cup as his side’s “single most important competition of the season”.

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