Manchester City to face Juventus in FIFA Club World Cup group stage

Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn on Thursday with Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain in Group G of next year's FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S..

Lionel Messi and Major League Soccer's (MLS) Inter Miami are in Group A and will face Al Ahly in the opening game of the expanded 32-team tournament before games against Porto and Palmeiras.

The tournament, featuring top teams from around the world, will be held in 12 stadiums around the country from June 15 to July 13, 2025 and serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

City won the most recent Club World Cup in 2023 under the old format and sit fourth in the Premier League after being hit hard by injuries to key players such as Spanish midfielder and Ballon d'Or winner Rodri.

City, who this year won an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, will face Wydad AC in their opening match and Al Ain before closing out the group stage against Juventus.

Miami were the penultimate team added to the tournament after winning the "Supporters' Shield" for finishing top of the MLS standings in the regular season before losing in the first round of the MLS playoffs last month.

European champions Real Madrid will face Al Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg in Group H while Bayern Munich were placed in Group C along with Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica.

Three-times European champions Inter Milan landed in Group E along with River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds and Monterrey while Paris Saint-Germain, who this year won a third consecutive French top-flight title, are in Group B with Atletico Madrid, Botafogo and Seattle Sounders.

Brazilian side Botafogo only secured the final spot in the tournament last week by winning their first Copa Libertadores title.

Chelsea will begin Group D with a match against Leon before facing Flamengo and Esperance, while Group F is made up of Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns.