WHAT HAPPENED?
FIFA revealed its group stage for the Club World Cup in full Thursday evening, the expanded 32-team tournament featuring matchups from top teams around the globe. Messi's Inter Miami were selected in a seemingly comfortable group, set to face Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras and Portugese stalwarts Porto, as well as Egyptian side Al Ahly.
Elsewhere, Madrid will have to get out of a group that includes Red Bull Salzburg, Al-Hilal and Pachuca, while City have drawn Juve, Wydad AC, and Al Ain. Group B would seem to be the most difficult, with Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Botafogo all vying for just two possible spots into the knockout stages.
DRAW IN FULL
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: PSG, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Esperance de Tunis, Chelsea, Leon
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F: Fluminense, Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G: Man City, Wydad AC, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H: Real Madrid, Pachuca, Al Hilal, RB Salzburg