Club World Cup draw: Key players, predictions, biggest fears – and how can it succeed?

The draw for the first 32-team Club World Cup brought us approximately 172 mentions of how “amazing” next summer’s tournament is going to be, a very drawn-out trophy reveal and a message from Donald Trump.

But after an hour and 40 minutes in Miami, Florida on Thursday, we finally found out which clubs will play each other in the group stage of the competition next June and July in the United States.

Here, our correspondents James Horncastle, Felipe Cardenas, Jeff Rueter, Seb Stafford-Bloor and Dermot Corrigan debate the pick of the opening-phase games and which teams and players will catch the eye and share their predictions for the tournament overall.

Which group game stands out?

James Horncastle: River Plate-Inter in part because Inter are, perhaps, the European club most identified with Argentinian players. Javier Zanetti, Inter’s vice president and a former Argentina international, applauded today’s draw from the audience. The barbecues at the Inter training ground are legendary. Zanetti has a couple of Argentine steakhouses in Milan.

Felipe Cardenas: I’m with Horncastle on this one. River-Inter will feature great kits, nostalgia, and two footballing cultures that have a lot in common. My pick though is Monterrey vs River. Monterrey’s newly-minted manager Martin Demichelis facing off against the club he was previously in charge of and their coach Marcelo Gallardo, the man whose shadow he couldn’t escape there. It could be a very petty match-up.

Jeff Rueter: Benfica-Boca Juniors. Two teams who are among the very best in legacy footballing nations but are more often viewed from Europe’s top levels as developmental clubs burgeoning with promising talent. Getting to see them square off is a delight, and could be a way for Boca to issue a particularly poignant reminder of their caliber. They’ll also likely be competing to advance from Group C, as Bayern Munich is a favorite to win the whole tournament. And if nothing else, it’s a tremendous kit match-up.

Seb Stafford-Bloor: River-Inter for me, too. There’s so much shared culture between those two sides and even if we don’t know quite what the atmosphere will be like, that could — if it’s allowed — be one of the most colourful occasions of the group stage. Bring all your flares and tifos.

Dermot Corrigan: Atletico Madrid versus Paris Saint-Germain in Group B will definitely provoke interest in Spain. PSG’s Spanish head coach Luis Enrique talked to Atletico about possibly replacing Diego Simeone a few years back. Simeone survived and Atletico won 2-1 at PSG in the Champions League, with a late Angel Correa goal, just a few weeks ago.

Which team could emerge as the hipsters’ favourite?

Horncastle: Monterrey. Their stadium is on my bucket list. Sergio Canales, one of the first young talents to have their skills hyped up and set to EuroTechno on early YouTube, plays for them along with former Porto duo Oliver Torres and Jesus Corona. Although the long hair of his playing days has gone, Demichelis still looks mean. I would love to see him in a remake of From Dusk Till Dawn. An easy choice.

Sergio Canales is one of the stars of Monterrey (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)

Cardenas: Inter Miami’s pink uniform is about as hipster as it gets, but my pick is newly-crowned South American champion Botafogo. This is a good team that loves to attack and score goals at will. They’re young. They’re creative. And they’re showmen, who are led by American owner John Textor. It’s a new-money side with some really good players.

Rueter: The Seattle Sounders could rightfully feel hard done by being overlooked as tournament host, as FIFA’s eagerness to ensure Inter Miami showed up to the party snubbed the 2022 North American champion. Winger Pedro de la Vega has had a tough first year in MLS, but a tournament like this could remind the league why he was so coveted. Otherwise, the likely answer is “whichever non-European team is able to beat more familiar opponents without fully committing to anti-football.” Let’s say Flamengo, as they’ve been drawn in a group with Chelsea.

Stafford-Bloor: The financial disparities between the continents being what they are, it’s hard to know how many true underdogs will stick around long enough to win those hipsters’ hearts. So, we need someone possessing a bit of romance, who is good enough to last and make it through the group, but who will ultimately be crushed mercilessly under the foot of Champions League capitalism in the quarter-finals. I’ll take Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Corrigan: I’m not going to claim a deep knowledge of Liga MX, but Monterrey have a very interesting mix of former La Liga talents. Ex-Real Madrid, Valencia, Real Sociedad and Real Betis playmaker Canales will be 34 when the tournament starts but can still run a game from No 10. Former Sevilla trio Oliver Torres, Lucas Ocampos and Jesus Corona are also talented, if erratic. And 36-year-old (37 by tournament time) Hector Moreno brings grizzled experience at the back. One-time Argentina centre-back Demichelis is already building a reputation as a coach, having presumably picked up a thing or two during his playing career under managers including Manuel Pellegrini, Louis van Gaal, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jurgen Klinsmann, Alejandro Sabella and Diego Maradona.

Demichelis is head coach of Monterrey (Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images)

So, on their day, Monterrey could give anyone a game — including Inter and Demichelis’ previous employers River. While there’s also potential for it all blowing up spectacularly for them against Urawa Red Diamonds.

Which player could put himself in the transfer shop window?

Horncastle: Instinct brings us to the South American teams. Until, that is, you realise Chelsea and Real Madrid have bought all the teenage Brazilians, and Brighton and Manchester City have already signed the bright young Argentinians. It’s perhaps symptomatic of where the world is at right now that the second coming of John Kennedy is not in the White House, but on the Fluminense team sheet. He scored their winner in last year’s Copa Libertadores final against Boca.

Cardenas: If Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios is still on their team come next summer, the playmaker will certainly be a name to follow. Rios, 24, was excellent during Colombia’s run to the Copa America final this past summer. He’s a player whose skill and flair stand out, but whose work rate is equally as impressive. Rios has been unnerved by the pressure of playing at Palmeiras, which has placed him on the scouting boards of several European clubs.

Rueter: Seattle boasts an incredible midfield prospect who could benefit from the Club World Cup. Obed Vargas (pictured below) is a precocious 19-year-old holding midfielder who can play as either a No 6 or No 8, a product of Seattle’s academy who’s already a vital starter for the perennial MLS contender. Vargas is also a rarity: despite being born in Alaska, he has opted to represent Mexico rather than the United States, making him the first Alaskan member in the team’s history. It’s a matter of when, not if, he follows this summer’s departure of Aidan Morris from MLS to Europe, either in a similar tier as the English (second-tier) Championship, or a larger league with a loan-led development plan in mind.

(Shaun Clark/Getty Images)

Stafford-Bloor: Jamie Gittens. His market value seems to be rising week-by-week at Borussia Dortmund and his performances in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season certainly qualify him as one of the most destructive players in Europe. If that form continues into next summer, he could easily be one of the most watchable players at this tournament and someone who clubs start viewing less with interest and more as a player they urgently need.

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Corrigan: Borja Baston had only played for Atletico Madrid, Murcia, Huesca, Deportivo La Coruna, Real Zaragoza, Eibar, Swansea City, Malaga, Alaves, Aston Villa, Leganes and Oviedo, before arriving at Mexican outfit Pachuca in July. The Spanish centre-forward with a good touch for a big man has scored goals wherever he went (except for Villa, and so far with Pachuca). And his career history, presumably there’s a decent chance that, still just 32, he could well be on the move again next summer. But what better way to secure an interesting and lucrative next adventure than by banging in a few goals against Real Madrid, Al Hilal or Red Bull Salzburg with the world watching?

Who’s your predicted winner?

Horncastle: To be consistent with my picks over the past year: Inter. To be eclectic: Al Hilal.

Cardenas: Inter Mia… kidding! I’ll say Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s young crew of talented and hungry footballers will raise the Club World Cup trophy. Will anyone care, though?

Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in February 2022 (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Rueter: Erm… FIFA? On the pitch, Bayern has long wanted to become among the best-supported clubs in the United States, and winning a Club World Cup could help get over that rare missed Bundesliga title from last season.

Stafford-Bloor: Real Madrid. More than the two Premier League clubs, they can be trusted to take this competition seriously. Clearly, they have the footballing tools — maybe Kylian Mbappe will have found some form by then, too — and this is the kind of title that they would pursue with real vigour.

Corrigan: Atletico are one of the European teams who actually look really excited to be involved in this — both CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin and club president Enrique Cerezo travelled to Miami for today’s draw. The club’s owners are keen to promote their brand in the United States, coach Simeone needs another trophy to maintain his position of power, and Conor Gallagher could become England’s first football World Cup winner since 1966.

Does football need a revamped Club World Cup?

Horncastle: In abstract, now that technology has made the world a much smaller place, the Club World Cup should be the extracurricular activity outside of domestic competition. The summer scheduling makes it feel important and not an inconvenient league interruption, like other winter tournaments. All that being said, the financial disparities between continents and the way FIFA president Gianni Infantino has forced this vanity project on the game at a time when players are playing more than ever makes it hard to be enthusiastic.

Cardenas: It’s actually very American to supersize an international club tournament. ‘The bigger, the better’ seems to be FIFA’s new mantra, and clearly, the U.S. is the ideal market for an expanded format. To be honest, I like the concept. But I also really liked the old Intercontinental Cup, or the Toyota Cup, that pitted the South American club champion against its European counterpart. Was that too exclusive? Probably. But Sao Paulo versus Milan in Tokyo in 1993, in those classic kits, will never get old.

Milan celebrate winning the old Intercontinental Cup in 1993 against Sao Paulo (Kurita KAKU/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Rueter: Not one bit. Players, coaches, staff — to say nothing of journalists — are gasping for time off between competitions. There’s a point where there’s just too much of a good thing, and an oversaturated market dilutes the product. I would argue we are well past that point.

Stafford-Bloor: Of course not. I actually quite like the idea in theory, but it feels 30 years too late. Imagine some of these teams facing each other in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before all the talent was plundered by European clubs, and snatched away before it was old enough to grow a bad moustache. If this tournament was introduced instead of another — displacing something currently in the calendar, rather than simply adding to it — then it would be a different conversation.

Corrigan: If you were starting organised football from scratch, there could well be a place for a World Cup of clubs. The idea of the best teams from all continents coming together sounds quite exciting. It could also help big, historic teams outside Europe to attract and retain a better standard of players in their home countries for longer. But the reality of the game’s current calendar means there is just no room to fit in a new competition of this size.

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What does it need to make it succeed?

Horncastle: Not DJ Khaled saying: “Another one” feat: Gianni Infantino. In all seriousness, FIFA needs to really hype this thing up and generate interest. Now that the games are going to be free-to-view on DAZN, I want ticketing to be accessibly priced, travel to be subsidised and for fans from Tunisia, Argentina and South Africa to be able to show up. If the games are corporatised, atmosphere-less and fail to sell out, it’ll look and sound terrible. These supporters are already squeezed enough as their clubs demand international travel for the Champions League, Copa Libertadores and so on. The Club World Cup only adds to that cost. Last but not least, given how much casual transcendental interest is tied up in his star system, it’ll need Lionel Messi to step up and drop ‘Another one’ for Gianni.

Cardenas: Good football. Blood, sweat and tears. Underdogs, upsets, and breakout stars. That has always been the recipe for success at any international tournament. If the new Club World Cup looks like the pre-season competitions we already see some of these European clubs playing here in the U.S. every July, it’ll flop. Or if the minnows are thoroughly beaten and humiliated, the tournament will fail. If the world’s top players and teams believe that it could jeopardise their club seasons, it will carry on with very little interest. In the end, what is the incentive here for Europe’s top teams? The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of the club game. In South America, the Copa Libertadores defines greatness. I don’t see how the Club World Cup can eclipse those realities. It’ll take time.

Botafogo fans celebrate winning the 2024 Copa Libertadores – would similar scenes greet a Club World Cup? (Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Rueter: Players and coaches to treat it with full seriousness. That’s the sole metric, no matter how much money is at stake or pomp and grandeur is pumped into venues. If those involved don’t appear bought in and the games more closely resemble the fervour of a charity match or pre-season friendly, why should those of us on the outside looking in care?

Stafford-Bloor: Credibility. There must be the sense that this is actually competitive and that the participating teams are bothered by the outcome. If not, then the results do not matter and the fans will not care. An enormous prize fund would be a good motivator but the market seems lukewarm at best and Infantino is some way off delivering on his bold promises. Perhaps one of his new, deep-pocketed friends will step in to make up the shortfall?

Corrigan: Structural changes to the existing match calendar, to give it some space. But that would mean FIFA and UEFA both ceding some power and money. As well as agreement from regional and national federations and leagues. Which all seems quite unlikely.

What should organisers be fearing most?

Horncastle: Salt Bae? Elon Musk? Elon Musk and Salt Bae? Frankly, I am disappointed that the draw did not involve Infantino beaming in from a Space X flight while particles of salt, gold leaf and a rib-eye float around him in micro-gravity as Salt Bae mouths, ‘Wooooooow’, when Al Hilal are suddenly paired with RB Salzburg (or FC Salzburg, to use the new name FIFA has given them). A missed opportunity.

Salt Bae – where was he at the draw, eh? (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Cardenas: Security issues. The Copa America final in Miami back in July was a near-tragic event, when thousands of fans (both with and without tickets) were jammed against the Hard Rock Stadium gates as they attempted to enter. Stadium security, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL officials all looked overwhelmed, and frankly, terrorised, by their lack of preparation for a major final. There was also a notable episode of fan violence in the stands during the Colombia vs Uruguay semifinal. Several Uruguay players, including Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, climbed into the stands and clashed with Colombia supporters. They proved that American organizers are still naive when it comes to the security responsibilities that are a part of international football. Preparing for altercations between rival ultras or barras bravas must be part of the scouting report next summer.

Rueter: Apathy, but this feels like a brave venture of sorts for FIFA. Although the diehard fans of the sport loathe its global body, its tournaments and ventures still always carry a bit of aura. That’s beginning to crack, though. For all of its efforts to bloviate the importance of The Best FIFA Football Awards — yes, that’s its fully serious branding — we still fixate on the Ballon d’Or as the calendar’s hottest award series. If this competition becomes little more than an afterthought to the average fan, that’s an outright calamity: too big to fail, no more.

Stafford-Bloor: Indifference. Mexican Waves. Paper aeroplanes. More than anything: experimental line-ups. If teams approach this as an exercise in collecting as much money as possible while risking as little as they can get away with — second-choice goalkeepers, third-choice right-backs, star players being subbed off after 55 minutes — it will be harder to sell the broadcasting rights next time around in 2029.

Corrigan: Figures at clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester City are already openly complaining about the length of the season. Top players either crying off early from this due to injury or fitness problems, or looking disinterested and even rebellious if they do arrive in the States, would be a real problem for the tournament’s credibility. Individual shock results in the group stage, with high and mighty European giants being sent home early, might entertain the neutrals but a knockout phase mostly featuring smaller teams and lower-profile players will not attract a big audience. Organising the next iteration of the tournament in 2029 would become even more difficult.

(Top photo: FIFA president Gianni Infantino and draw host Alessandro Del Piero; Eva Marie Uzcategui/FIFA via Getty Images)