“Honour”, “joy” and “pride” were some of the buzzwords used by the 12 European clubs who will take part in the new 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, Florida on Thursday, 5 December.

Club representatives from Atlético de Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea FC, FC Bayern München, FC Internazionale Milano, FC Porto, FC Salzburg, Juventus FC, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid C. F. and SL Benfica attended the ceremony, which was streamed live to football fans around the world.

Among the draw highlights, 2022/23 UEFA Champions League winners Manchester City have been pitted against Italian giants Juventus in Group G, while record French champions Paris Saint-Germain were paired with Spain’s Atlético de Madrid in Group B. In Group H, Real Madrid take on Al Hilal in a potential meeting with former Barcelona nemesis Neymar. Inside FIFA rounds up the reaction…

Enrique Cerezo, Atlético de Madrid President

“It is a strong group, it is a very strong group. PSG [Paris Saint-Germain] is one of the best teams in Europe. Botafogo are Copa Libertadores champions, and Seattle [Sounders] is a good team here, a strong team in the United States. I think it is a very strong group, and we will do all we can to advance from it. It brings us great joy and satisfaction, and above all, we are very honoured to be able to participate in this first edition of the [FIFA] Club World Cup.”

Giovane Elber, FC Bayern München legend

“We at FC Bayern [München] are looking forward to the group we have been drawn in. We already know [SL] Benfica as opponents; we beat them recently. We last played against Boca Juniors in 2001. We won the (FIFA) Intercontinental Cup that year. New Zealand, on the other hand, is something completely new for us, but we are very happy to play against a team from New Zealand. It’s a real pleasure to be part of it. It’s a great honour for us to be part of the new (FIFA) Club World Cup for the first time. Of course, the team will give it their all and try to reach the final.”

Javier Zanetti, FC Internazionale Milano Vice-president

“In my opinion, Group E is a tough one, because we are up against an Argentinian team, [Club Atlético] River Plate, which is a great team, together with [CF] Monterrey and a Japanese club. It's an even group, but I think we'll do our best to be in top shape heading into the competition. For Inter Milan, taking part in this (FIFA) Club World Club, organised in this way for the first time, means honour, prestige, pride, and we hope to do our best in this competition.”

Jorge Costa, FC Porto club legend

“Regardless of the teams we drew, we knew that it would be a tough group considering the quality at this tournament. They’re different teams. We have the home team, full of amazing players, with a new coach. Then there’s a great team from Egypt, who many may not know, but one that I know well and they are one of the great African teams. And the great [SE] Palmeiras led by our own Abel [Ferreira], who has been doing an amazing job. Above all, they have different styles of play, different approaches, which is good. That is something that club teams aren’t used to. National teams are used to it when they go to the (FIFA) World Cup. So I’m eager for this competition to start, so I can see what it brings.”

Zlatko Junuzović, FC Salzburg legend

“Obviously we know it's a very, very difficult group with [CF] Pachuca, Al Hilal and, of course, Real Madrid [C.F.]. We'll have Real Madrid in the Champions League again, so we can prepare for that again. And then we'll be well prepared for the summer. I hope a lot of people will join us on the trip. We will do our best to do really well in the games. Of course, we know it's a really strong group. That's clear. But it's a challenge we're happy to take on and we'll prepare ourselves accordingly.”

Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus FC legend

“I think that it’s huge for us all. It’s a new tournament, it’s history in the making, so we just can’t wait for it to start. We have ended up in a tough group but not an impossible one. With [Manchester] City in our group, we’ll be up against some of the competition favourites. It’s not impossible, but it will be tough. It’s obviously in Juventus’ DNA to compete for every title, especially these ones, where the best teams are competing. It’s an honour for us.”

Roel de Vries, Manchester City Group Chief Operating Officer

“It’s going to be an interesting group – tough opposition – but they are going to be good games.  [Juventus] is a big game – we’ve always had big games against them. It’s amazing to be a part of this group of 32 clubs that can play for this trophy to try and become the best in the world. We always try to play the best football: best for our fans, best for our players. And then, to be able to be part of this tournament is just a great honour.”

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Paris Saint-German President

“It’s an interesting group, I think. [There are] important matches against three good, [distinct] teams. Atlético [de] Madrid, I mean, you know Atlético Madrid – an amazing team, historic. And, of course, Botafogo are the winners just now, they won the Copa [CONMEBOL Libertadores]. And I think, also, Seattle [Sounders FC] at home, with the fans, so an interesting group. So, we’ll have to be ready. It’s an historic draw – day, honestly – for this competition. We’re so proud to be the first European clubs playing in the new (FIFA) Club World Cup. Everyone wants to be a part of it – every team, every player, every manager.”

Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid C. F. Director of Institutional Relations

“It's a pleasure to be here, it's a new competition, with the best teams from all over the world, and it's an honour, of course, to take part in this competition. Whenever we participate in a competition, we always want to win it. And as for the group, nowadays all the matches are difficult, they are balanced, all the teams are very, very well prepared. This competition has the particularity that you face opponents from different continents and that, I think, also increases the difficulty. So, in this case, Al Hilal, we already faced them [before] and they have really grown as a club. Salzburg is also a club that has been getting very good results for many years now, participating in the [UEFA] Champions League, in fact we play against them now in January. And I think they will also be an opponent that will make it really difficult for us. And in terms of [CF] Pachuca, Pachuca have been a fixture in Mexican football in recent decades. So it will be three very, very competitive matches.”

Rui Costa, Benfica President

“Regarding the group, it’s a hard one. We have been paired with renowned teams, too. Bayern München, who have been our bogey team for the last years in the (UEFA) Champions League, and Boca Juniors, which is one of the most iconic clubs in Argentina, and in South America. And then, we have Auckland, a team we don’t know much about, but I’m sure they will have the same goals as the others. A tough group, but one in which Benfica has all the aspirations and every possibility to go through, and it’s with that goal that we will head into this (FIFA Club) World Cup, this first (FIFA Club) World Cup, and I repeat, it’s a huge pleasure for us to be able to be here.”

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 FIFA confederations: AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA.

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 presented with the new FIFA Club World Cup trophy.

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.