The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up

The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up
Soccer’s biggest ever global club tournament is coming to the United States next year and the 32-team group stage will be drawn Thursday. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 05 December 2024

The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up

The draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up
  • The tournament will take place in 11 US cities from June 15 to July 13 in an expanded format with 32 teams instead of the previous seven
  • Europe got 12 places, South America six, while Africa, Asia and North America got four each

GENEVA: Soccer’s biggest ever global club tournament is coming to the United States next year and the 32-team group stage will be drawn Thursday.
European powers Real Madrid and Manchester City, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, recently crowned South American champion Botafogo and top clubs from Asia, Africa and Oceania are among the teams who are in the draw for FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup.
The tournament, which used to be played annually in December, will take place in 11 US cities from June 15 to July 13 in an expanded format with 32 teams instead of the previous seven. Going forward the Club World Cup will be played every four years – just like the World Cup for national teams, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Here’s what to know about the Club World Cup draw, which is made in Miami at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Thursday.
What is the Club World Cup?
FIFA and its presidents have long coveted a prime piece of club soccer content.
The 2025 Club World Cup is FIFA’s most ambitious project, creating a month-long tournament in a mid-June to mid-July slot historically used by the men’s World Cup, which draws the biggest audiences in global sports.
The new club competition uses the traditional 32-team format used by the World Cup from 1998 to 2022. Eight round-robin groups of four teams each, and the top two advance to a knockout bracket of 16.
In allocating 32 entries, FIFA tried to balance getting the best and most watchable teams with giving all the world a chance to compete and develop.
Europe got 12 places, South America six, while Africa, Asia and North America got four each. One place went to Oceania and one to the host nation that should change for each edition.
Teams qualified by winning their continental championship from 2021 through 2024, or ranking highly with consistent results across those four seasons. Countries are capped at two entries unless more won titles. Brazil will send four different Copa Libertadores winners and Mexico three champions of the CONCACAF region. The other North American champion was Seattle Sounders.
Who will play?
Storied and wealthy European names are in: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. The current leaders of most of Europe’s strongest leagues miss out: Liverpool, Barcelona, Napoli and Sporting Lisbon.
Salzburg earned the last European entry last season based on FIFA’s ranking system though it can hardly be considered among Europe’s top clubs: it’s currently 32nd in the new 36-team Champions League standings.
Argentina’s big two clubs, River Plate and Boca Juniors, are in. The Brazilian and Mexican entries include, respectively, Fluminense and Pachuca, both currently 16th in their national league standings.
Africa’s entries include Al Ahly of Egypt — three times champion of Africa in the last four years — and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, which is owned by FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe.
sends Al-Hilal, the 2021 champion of Asia, which won the domestic league last season despite losing Neymar to a long-term injury.
If they stay fit, the tournament will feature a new generation of stars such as Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will be there, with a FIFA thumb on the scales in October to give the team the host nation’s entry. Two other stars from Messi’s generation will miss out: Cristiano Ronaldo’s n club Al Nassr and Barcelona with Robert Lewandowski failed to qualify through their continental Champions League competitions.
Why is Inter Miami playing?
The previous version of the Club World Cup kept an entry for the host nation’s champion. But this time FIFA did not wait for the MLS Cup title game on Saturday, when LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls. Neither will be in the draw Thursday.
Instead, Inter Miami, with the star power of Lionel Messi on the field and co-owner David Beckham, was given the Club World Cup place in October based on regular-season standings. It will play three group-stage games in Florida, including opening the tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium.
What are they playing for?
Money and a trophy. Which is more prized by club owners is a debate to be had.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money, with reported guarantees of $50 million to top European teams, though it is currently unclear where from.
FIFA signed a global broadcasting deal Wednesday with streaming service DAZN to make all 63 games available for free. The value of the deal was not disclosed, and allows the streaming service to sell on rights to public broadcasters.
DAZN has close ties with , which promotes and stages top-level boxing title fights.
The new gold trophy has been fashioned by Tiffany and has Infantino’s name engraved on it twice. Plus his signature.
What is the tournament’s history?
Traditionally, the champions of Europe and South America played for the Intercontinental Cup. From 1980 to 2004 the game was played in Japan and usually in December.
FIFA launched a Club World Championship in 2000, played in January by eight teams in Brazil. It was not held again for nearly six years.
From 2005 through last year, the annual FIFA Club World Cup was played each December, settling on a seven-team knockout format: the six reigning continental champions and the host nation’s domestic champion. Hosts rotated between Japan, Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Qatar and, for its final edition last December, .
This annual event was unloved in Europe. The UEFA Champions League winner typically arrived for two games in four days and took home the trophy. Chelsea in 2012 was the only European team to lose in the past 17 years.
When first elected in 2016, Infantino spoke of FIFA’s need for a bigger, more attractive and lucrative club event.
In his previous job as UEFA general secretary, he helped organize the Champions League, in peak years of Messi winning the title at Barcelona and Ronaldo with Manchester United and then Real Madrid.
First, Infantino had a secretive $25 billion deal for new tournaments including a 24-team Club World Cup worth $3 billion every four years from 2021. That was blocked by European soccer officials.
Agreement was reached to play an inaugural 24-team tournament in June 2021 in China. Europe was to send just six teams.
No broadcast or sponsor deals had been announced by early 2020 when the tournament was scrapped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The June 2021 slot was needed for the postponed Euro 2020 and Copa America.
After the failed Super League project in April 2021 rocked European soccer, FIFA found agreement for a 32-team Club World Cup.


Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness

Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness
Updated 07 October 2025

Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness

Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness
  • Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure and other vitals checked before retiring from her Wuhan Open first-round match with dizziness when down 6-1, 4-1 to American Ann Li on Tuesday
WUHAN:Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure and other vitals checked before retiring from her Wuhan Open first-round match with dizziness when down 6-1, 4-1 to American Ann Li on Tuesday.
The British world number 30 appeared to be struggling with the conditions as temperatures soared to 30 C, forcing tournament organizers to apply the heat rule in the first two days of competition.
Raducanu broke in the opening game of the match but immediately lost her advantage and would not win another game in a 28-minute first set.
The 2021 US Open champion received medical attention five games into the second set.
She made the call to retire, sending Li into a second-round meeting with ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The heat rule allows players to take a 10-minute break between the second and third sets, and means the tournament can partially or fully close the roof to protect players from the heat.
In the Raducanu-Li match the roof was partially closed.
Earlier, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka claimed her first-ever victory at the Wuhan Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
In a tense two-hour 30-minute affair, the 11th-seeded Osaka fired 41 winners and 56 unforced errors.
Osaka, who is playing in Wuhan for the first time since 2017, awaits in-form Linda Noskova or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the second round.
“Mentally it was just really tough for me today,” said Osaka. “And I think it’s a part of the season that’s just tough. But I think I’m, like, really happy to have gotten through it, and I think it’ll be easier from now on.”

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern
Updated 07 October 2025

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern

Kane cools interest in Premier League return and is ‘fully all in’ on Bayern
  • The 32-year-old Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and is under contract there until the summer of 2027
  • The striker said that when leaving Spurs he expected “for sure” that would one day return to English soccer

LONDON: England captain Harry Kane says his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled because he is “fully all in” on Bayern Munich.
The 32-year-old Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and is under contract there until the summer of 2027.
The striker said that when leaving Spurs, he expected “for sure” that would one day return to English soccer. He’s no longer certain about that.
“In terms of staying longer (at Bayern), I could definitely see that,” said Kane, who has reported for England duty ahead of a friendly with Wales on Thursday and a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on Oct. 14. “I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.
“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else. In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know — if you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back. Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.”
Kane has scored 11 goals in his first six games in the Bundesliga, with Bayern taking a maximum 18 points.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund recently said the team is “probably witnessing the best version of Harry Kane there has ever been.”
“What I have learnt in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place,” Kane said. “Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”
Kane won his first major trophy at club level last season when Bayern won the league and he said that’s “given me more motivation to do more and be better.”
“I think I’ve shown that this year,” he said. “I was interested in how I would feel after winning a trophy. Obviously, there’s still a lot more I want to achieve in terms of other trophies and bigger trophies for sure.
“But I think it was always just, in my head, ‘What I was going to feel like after I did achieve winning my first one?’ But for sure, I pushed myself the other way, in terms of being even better, eating even cleaner, doing more gym. Just trying to get the most out of what I’ve got right now.”


Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split

Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split
Updated 07 October 2025

Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split

Dubai Basketball kick off ABA League campaign with win over Split
  • Launching their second season in the league, Dubai got off to a strong start with a 92-58 win at Coca-Cola Arena
  • Dubai Basketball will play their next home game against EuroLeague champions FC Barcelona at Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday, Oct. 16

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball kicked off their ABA League campaign in style with a powerful 92-58 victory over Croatian side Split on Monday evening at Coca-Cola Arena.

In front of their home crowd, Jurica Golemac’s squad showcased their depth, athleticism, and offensive balance.

While Split put up a competitive fight in the opening quarter, Dubai quickly found their rhythm. The Croatian side kept pace early, with former Dubai player Leon Radosevic leading their efforts.

However, the hosts pulled away decisively in the second quarter. Dubai’s rotations brought fresh energy to both ends of the floor, and their defensive intensity tightened.

By halftime, Dubai had established a double-digit lead that they would not relinquish. Filip Petrusev anchored the defense with several key stops, while the offensive end featured contributions from Dwayne Bacon and Klemen Prepelic, which helped give them a 10-point lead at halftime.

The third period turned into a fast-paced exchange, with both sides trading quick shots. Though the play became somewhat fragmented, Dubai’s deeper bench allowed them to maintain control.

Split began to lose momentum as the physical toll of the contest set in. Dubai dominated the fourth quarter 35–15 to secure a convincing 34-point win. Bacon finished the night with a double-double, dropping 17 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

Golemac said: “Congratulations to our guys for the win. We used this game as a practice, as we had limited time for practice due to our schedule last week.

“We had control of the game throughout the whole 40 minutes; quality was on our side, and we took this game seriously. I wish Split all the best in the rest of the season.”

Dubai player Awudu Abass said: “We did a great job because we had two games last week. We showed our energy, and everyone played well tonight. In these types of games, everybody has to give support.

“Everyone was focused today, and that is amazing.”

Dubai return home for round four of the EuroLeague against Spanish giants FC Barcelona at Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday, Oct. 16. This will mark the Catalan side’s first-ever game in the UAE.


UAE golfers prepare for historic outing at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship  

UAE golfers prepare for historic outing at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship   
Updated 07 October 2025

UAE golfers prepare for historic outing at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship  

UAE golfers prepare for historic outing at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship   
  • Event takes place on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club from Oct. 23–26

DUBAI: Five UAE players will compete at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship taking place on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club from Oct. 23 to 26, the organizers announced recently.

Ahmad Skaik, Rayan Ahmad, Abdulla Kalbat, Jonathan Selvaraj and Sam Mullane will lead the UAE challenge as the championship returns to the UAE for the second time, following the 12th edition at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 2021.

Ahead of the tournament, four of the UAE contingent gathered at Emirates Golf Club to speak to local media, marking what promises to be a record-breaking week at the Middle East’s first grass course.

The five-player lineup surpasses the previous record of four UAE participants in the championship.

For Skaik, this year carries extra significance. The 28-year-old will make his sixth appearance in the event, but it will also be his final outing before turning professional.

He is no stranger to the elite stage, having teed up at the Dubai Desert Classic and Abu Dhabi Championship. He recently competed on invitations at several HotelPlanner Tour events, where earlier this year he became the first Emirati to make the cut for a European Tour group-sanctioned tournament.

“Tournaments like the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship have been pivotal in my journey as an amateur and have played a huge role in preparing me to turn professional after this event,” said Skaik.

“I’ve had plenty of fantastic memories at the championship, including becoming only the second Emirati to make the cut when it was last staged in the UAE, as well as hitting the opening tee shot that year.

“It feels like a fitting farewell to my amateur career to be joined by a record five participants representing the UAE at Emirates Golf Club for my final appearance in the championship. Hopefully we can all enjoy a great week.”

Mullane and Selvaraj will both be looking to make an impression as they make their championship debuts.

Mullane has enjoyed a strong year, with wins at the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai Amateur Open and the 2025 Cedars Golf Championship, while Selvaraj has claimed victories at World Amateur Golf Ranking events in Morocco and the UAE.

“I’m excited to tee it up for the first time in such a prestigious championship,” said Mullane.

“We’ve heard a lot about the tournament from Ahmad, Rayan and Abdulla, so I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing with some of the best amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Selvaraj added: “I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. It’s always been a goal of mine to compete in this championship. To now have the opportunity to do it in the UAE, on such an iconic course, is going to be very special.”

Kalbat and Ahmad, both 18, complete the quintet, making their second championship appearances after debuting at last year’s tournament at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan, where Ahmad made the cut before finishing T49.

“To make the weekend on my first championship start was something I had dreamed about,” said Ahmad.

“To now have the chance to back that up and try to climb higher on the leaderboard at this year’s edition, here at home in the UAE, is an opportunity I’m going to grab with both hands.”

Kalbat added: “Although I missed the cut last year, I learned so much from competing with the region’s best amateur golfers. I’ve used that experience as a learning curve, and it will put me in good stead heading into this year’s edition at Emirates Golf Club.”

Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, The R&A and the Masters Tournament, to develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.

The champion will receive an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 154th Open; the runner(s)-up will receive an exemption into The Open Qualifying Series; and the top-three finishers will receive an exemption to The 131st Amateur Championship.

Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.

Over the championship’s 15-year history, it has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players.

The players who made it include Matsuyama, 2018 champion Takumi Kanaya, 2021 champion Keita Nakajima of Japan, Smith, Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee of Australia, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, the Republic of Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan.

Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 33 tournaments on the PGA Tour, and more than 140 events across major professional tours.


Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place

Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place
Updated 07 October 2025

Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place

Goal-shy Salah seeks change as Egypt eye World Cup place
  • Mohamed Salah wants to put a disappointing start to his season with Liverpool behind him on Wednesday and help Egypt beat Djibouti and qualify for the 2026 World Cup

JOHANNESBURG: Mohamed Salah wants to put a disappointing start to his season with Liverpool behind him on Wednesday and help Egypt beat Djibouti and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
A win for the record seven-time African champions over one of the lowest ranked teams in the continent will give them an unassailable lead over second-placed Burkina Faso in Group A with one match to spare.
A two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah has lost his spark with the Premier League champions, scoring just three goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season.
Last season, the 33-year-old netted 29 times in 38 league matches to win the Golden Boot award as Liverpool surged to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title.
Salah has fond memories of playing against Djibouti, scoring four goals in a 6-0 Cairo romp in the opening round of World Cup qualifying two years ago.
It does not help Djibouti that they do not have a FIFA-approved stadium, so their ‘home’ match against Egypt will be staged in the Moroccan commercial capital Casablanca.
Three subsequent goals took Salah to seven in the qualifying campaign, one less than chart-topper Denis Bouanga of Gabon with two rounds remaining.
Fellow Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, who plays for French Ligue 1 outfit Nantes, is not concerned about Salah, telling reporters the lack of goals is “a temporary setback.”
“Mo is a big star, and we are lucky to have him in our team. He is the best player in the history of Egypt,” he told the FIFA website.
“He is amazing. For me, he has a great personality. I love him a lot. He is a wonderful player,” added Mohamed, who also scored against Djibouti.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has an embarrassment of attacking riches, Apart from Salah and Mohamed, he can call on Omar Marmoush, Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan and Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed.
Given Djibouti have lost seven of eight qualifiers and lie 158 places below Egypt in the FIFA rankings, it would be a shock if they prevent the Pharaohs sealing a fourth World Cup appearance.
Algeria set to qualify
Algeria and Cape Verde are the other two countries who can clinch places at the World Cup with matchday nine victories, and join already-qualified Morocco and Tunisia in North and Central America next year.
Senegal, reigning African champions Ivory Coast and Ghana could also take unassailable leads, but they must win and hope other group results favor them.
Group C, where Benin lead South Africa on goal difference and Nigeria and Rwanda are three points behind, is the one section where a qualifier cannot emerge before the final round, starting on Sunday.
Like Egypt, Algeria can qualify if they secure maximum points against a much lower ranked opponent. The Desert Foxes have the added advantage of playing an ‘away’ Group G match against Somalia at home.
Security concerns prevent Somalia staging matches in Mogadishu, and a 163-place rankings gap behind Algeria demonstrates the difficult challenge facing the Ocean Stars in Oran on Thursday.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic has called up for the first time Luca Zidane, a 27-year-old goalkeeper with Spanish second-tier club Granada and son of French great Zinedine Zidane.
Luca, who qualifies for Algeria because his paternal grandparents were born there, has switched international allegiance after representing France at youth levels.
Algeria are seeking a fifth appearance at the global showpiece, while Cape Verde are hoping to qualify for the first time. They face Libya in Tripoli on Wednesday.
A former Portuguese colony, Cape Verde is a group of islands off the west coast with about 550,000 inhabitants. Qualification would make them the African country with the smallest population to do so.
Even if the Cape Verdeans fail in Libya, they will get a second chance on Monday to collect three points needed to finish above Cameroon when they host bottom team Eswatini in Group D.
Ghana will win Group I on Wednesday if they beat the Central African Republic and Madagascar do not collect maximum points against the Comoros.
Senegal can qualify from Group B if they win in South Sudan on Friday and the Democratic Republic of Congo fail to win in Togo.
Ivory Coast, who last featured at a World Cup in 2014, would return if they win away to the Seychelles and Gabon lose to the Gambia.
Failure to win a group does not spell the end of the road, though. The four best-ranked runners-up enter African play-offs in November from which the winners go to intercontinental play-offs in March.