Club World Cup: Man City, Real Madrid, Inter Miami learn matches - ESPN

Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn with Juventus, Wydad Casablanca and Al Ain on Thursday in Group G for next year's FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Lionel Messi and MLS side Inter Miami are in Group A and will face Al Ahly in the opening match 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-July 13 and serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Among the powerhouse clubs in the field are Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. There's also the four highest-ranked teams from South America: Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.

And Messi's team, as a representative of the host nation, gets the distinction of playing the first match. It'll happen at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

«It's about inclusivity, it's about bringing clubs from all over the world, the 32 best clubs and best players from all over the world together,» FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Other opening matchups include: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid and Botafogo playing at Seattle in Group B; Monterrey against Inter Milan in Group E; and Real Madrid facing the Saudi club Al-Hilal in Group H — a showdown of superstars, with Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid and potentially Neymar for Al-Hilal.

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

City, who this year won an unprecedented