The 2025 Club World Cup draw brought a lot of drama, when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were lucky to avoid strong opponents, Chelsea and Real Madrid received favorable groups, while PSG faced the risk of being eliminated early.
The draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup , to be held in Miami next June, has determined the group stage for the 32 participating teams. The tournament promises to be a high-profile contest between football superpowers such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and excellent teams from South America such as Palmeiras, Flamengo, River Plate. In particular, the presence of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami adds to the appeal of the tournament.
South American teams will be represented by the four most recent Copa Libertadores champions, including Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo, and Palmeiras. Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate are also in contention. Meanwhile, Africa’s Al Ahly, Asia’s Al Ain, and North American powerhouse Pachuca will be among the contenders. Auckland City continue to dominate the Oceania region, but the biggest attention will undoubtedly be on Lionel Messi, who will lead Inter Miami on this historic run.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 draw results.
Real Madrid are considered one of the big winners in the draw. They face Red Bull Salzburg in Pot 2, and have a pretty good path to the next round. Salzburg are the opponents that every team wants to face, as they are not in great form domestically. Meanwhile, the other two teams in Real’s group, Al Hilal and Pachuca, are not names that can cause a shock. Madrid are expected to assert their position quickly and advance straight to the knockout stage.
On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain are in a group that is considered very difficult. Having to face Atletico Madrid, the team that defeated them in the Champions League, and Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo, PSG will have to make every effort to get through the group stage. In addition, the French team is still facing many internal problems as coach Luis Enrique has not been able to stabilize the playing style. If they do not quickly improve, PSG risk suffering the humiliation of being eliminated in the group stage.
Real Madrid are lucky to only face “easy” opponents.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are a different story. They were not highly rated before the draw, but luck has seen them avoid some tough opponents. Drawn in a group with Palmeiras, Porto and Al Ahly, Messi and his teammates have a great chance to go all the way. This could be Messi’s last appearance in a major club tournament, and he will not miss the chance to make a big impression.
One of the most interesting groups of the tournament is Bayern Munich, Benfica, Boca Juniors, and Auckland City – considered the real group of death. Bayern Munich, with its star-studded squad, is expected to take the lead, but the battle for second place promises to be fierce. Benfica and Boca Juniors are both teams with long traditions and strong squads. Meanwhile, Auckland City may be the weakest team in the tournament, but they still hope to create a surprise. However, with such a huge gap in skill level, it is likely that the New Zealand team will suffer heavy defeats.
Inter Miami has every chance of advancing.
Chelsea are also one of the teams that benefited from the draw. With a relatively easy group, including Flamengo, Club Leon, and Espérance Sportive de Tunis, they could easily top the group. Under coach Enzo Maresca, the London team is regaining form and has become a serious contender for the title. However, they will need to maintain consistency to avoid surprises in the knockout stages.
However, fans were somewhat disappointed with the draw. The draw did not create much drama with the real “death” groups, except for Bayern’s group. However, the tournament still promises top matches, especially the opportunity to see Messi play for the last time in a club shirt, or the confrontation between giants from different continents.
