Excitement is growing among the six South American clubs who will take part in the new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup™ after the draw for the group stage of the most inclusive, merit-based competition in club football history was made in Miami on Thursday, 5 December 2024.

Representatives from all the clubs were in attendance to discover who their teams would be playing. CONMEBOL clubs CR Flamengo, SE Palmeiras, CA River Plate and Fluminense FC were placed in pot one for the draw with CA Boca Juniors and Botafogo in pot three.

CA River Plate Los Millonarios, four-time winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores, must play Urawa Red Diamonds, CF Monterrey and FC Internazionale Milano in Group E. “It’s very important for us as an institution, as a club, for the future of the club as well. To have been a part of pot one amongst the best-ranked teams is also very positive and that’s very important,” said club legend and former Uruguay No.10 Enzo Francescoli. “I think that the (FIFA) Club World Cup will slowly become very significant, and it will earn its place in the world of football.” He added: “Everyone participating in such a huge tournament like this one needs to be ready. If we want to win this tournament, we have to go all out. You can’t choose your opponent or the group. We have to look and work on our team’s quality, believing that our team are ready to face the challenges that come from a competition like this one.”

Botafogo Botafogo were the final team to qualify by winning the CONMEBOL Libertadores on 30 November, the first time they have won South America’s top club competition. They have a tough task in Group B where they meet European duo Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid and Seattle Sounders FC. “Obviously, we just qualified the other day, we’re getting over the thrill of that and to be in this event is amazing. I’m thrilled with the group and I mean it,” said the club’s owner John Textor. “Botafogo is ready to play the world; we’ve always said that. We want to export the quality of Brazilian football to the world and this is our opportunity to do that.” He also recalled the club’s illustrious history. “Botafogo was the great club of many years back. I mean, I think what’s amazing about Brazilian football is you run into a Flamengo fan, a Corinthians fan and they all say that their father or grandfather was a Botafogo fan. So, to bring the club back to being one of the top teams in Brazil and South America is great. “We said that from the beginning, we want the world to know the name Botafogo and to be able to do that in the United States is a great opportunity. But we’re all a bit surprised; the success came a little faster than we expected, so we have to maintain it. People laugh at this, but we’re going to show up and we’re going to try to win it. Every time we step on the field, we’re trying to win it. So, we’ll see what we can do in the US in June and July.”

CR Flamengo Three-time CONMEBOL Libertadores champions Flamengo, another Rio de Janeiro-based team, have an enormous worldwide following and can be assured of tremendous support. They will take on Chelsea FC, Espérance Sportive de Tunisie and Club León in Group D. “I think it’s really great to see our club participating in a draw like this one in pot one. It’s great to see our work over the years recognised like this. It’s what put Flamengo in such a prominent position. I think it’s a historic day,” said President Rodolfo Landim. “[We are] part of a real global tournament for the first time with many teams that are also the best and at the top of their confederations. Let’s believe and support the team. Rest assured that, on our side, we’ll work hard to be prepared and perform as our supporters expect in this tournament.”

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will grace the world stage from 14 June to 13 July 2025, with a total of 63 matches to be played across 12 different venues in 11 US Host Cities. The inaugural edition of the 32-team competition features the most successful club sides from each of the six confederations. The group stage is comprised of eight groups of four teams playing in a single-game round-robin format. The top two teams per group progress to the round of 16, the beginning of a direct single-match knockout stage, culminating in the final at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey, where the world’s best club will be crowned.

Fans wishing to keep up to date with the latest news and information regarding FIFA Club World Cup 2025 tickets can register at FIFA.com/tickets. More information about ticket and hospitality sales will be released in due course.