Donald and Ivanka Trump feature in controversial Club World Cup draw, as Inter Miami discovers its fate
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Inter Miami will play Egypt’s Al Ahly in the first match of next year’s revamped Club World Cup, after the draw was made on Thursday.
The competition, which has been expanded to include 32 teams from around the world, will be held across 12 different venues in the US.
It’s being viewed as a warmup for when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026, alongside Canada and Mexico.
President-elect Donald Trump featured in the often chaotic draw, speaking to the audience via a pre-recorded video message. He was introduced world soccer governing body FIFA President Gianni Infantino as his “very special friend.”
“The event is going to be incredible. I will try and be there if I can,” Trump said, before praising Infantino and looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup.
He added: “Soccer is going through the roof as everybody knows, it’s been doing fantastically well.”
While Trump was unable to attend the ceremony, his daughter Ivanka was present along with her son. The pair picked the first team out of the draw.
How will it work?
The 32 teams were split into eight groups of four teams. The winner and runner-up will qualify for the knockout stages. The final is set to be played on July 13.
Teams qualified via a number of means, mostly based on their recent results in various competitions.
Inter Miami, which was controversially chosen to represent the US in the competition despite not winning the MLS title this season, was drawn alongside Brazil’s Palmeiras, FC Portuguese side Porto and Al Ahly in Group A.
Led by Lionel Messi, the Florida club will play the first match of the tournament against the Egyptian side on June 15 in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
Meanwhile, defending Champions League winner Real Madrid will play Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Pachuca of Mexico and Austria’s RB Salzburg in Group H.
Perhaps the most blockbuster group tie, though, will come in Group G, where Manchester City and Juventus will meet.
Controversy
The tournament, which was once described as a “mistake” by former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, will now be played every four years. It was previously held annually and involved just seven teams from around the world who had won their continental club championship – plus host nation teams.
Earlier this year, players unions and leagues took legal action against FIFA, in opposition to the creation of the new format. They argue that the soccer calendar is already too loaded and the competition will put unfair demands on players.
Addressing a FIFA congress in May, Infantino said that FIFA was “organizing around 1% of the games of the top clubs in the world. 98-99% of the matches are organized by the different leagues, associations, confederations.
“FIFA is financing football all over the world. The revenues that we generate are not just going to a few clubs in one country, the revenues that we generate are going to 211 countries all over the world. There is no other organization that does that.”
Next year’s tournament is set to begin just over two weeks after the Champions League final is played. The 63 matches will be streamed for free on DAZN worldwide.
Full 2025 Club World Club draw
Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al-Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Espérance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Club León
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, 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, RB Salzburg
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