Big show in Miami

Club World Cup: Which superstars will Salzburg face?

Former Peruvian footballer Teófilo Cubillas drew Salzburg into a group with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Red Bull Salzburg will face Real Madrid, Neymar's club Al-Hilal and CF Pachuca from Mexico in the first-ever 32-team Club World Cup 2025 in the USA (June 15 - July 13). This was the result of today's draw in Miami. 

Red Bull Salzburg have drawn an attractive draw for the premiere of the Club World Cup in the new format. Austria's Champions League starters will face Real Madrid with ÖFB team captain David Alaba and Al-Hilal, the Saudi Arabian club of Brazil's superstar Neymar, in Group H at the tournament in the USA from June 15 to July 13, 2025. The third opponent is the Mexican club CF Pachuca. 

Salzburg will therefore face the current Champions League winners from Madrid twice next year. In the current European premier class season, Salzburg will play at the Bernabeu Stadium on January 22. At the Club World Cup, the Spaniards, hopefully with Alaba, who has been injured for around a year, will be their last group opponents.

David Alaba works for his comeback(Bild: realmadrid.com)

Pachuca as opening opponents, then against Neymar
The exact match dates and venues are not yet known, but the Red Bulls will kick off against CF Pachuca, the two-time CONCACAF Champions League winners and seven-time Mexican champions. This will be followed by a clash with Al-Hilal, the current Saudi champions and cup winners.

Saudi Arabia has been attracting top stars to the Saudi Pro League with big money for the past two years, with Neymar moving from Paris Saint-Germain to the club from the capital for around €90 million in August 2023. The 'Blue Wave', as the club is also known, made headlines between September 2023 and April 2024 with 34 wins in a row across all competitions. Al-Hilal made it to the final of the 2022 Club World Cup, where they lost 5-3 to Real Madrid.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Lucrative tournament for 32 teams
The Club World Cup will be held in a new and upgraded form for the first time next year. The tournament will be held over four weeks in the summer with 32 teams, and participation is extremely lucrative. According to reports, there is an entry fee alone of at least 50 million US dollars (47.66 million euros). The 63 matches will be broadcast live and free of charge by streaming provider DAZN.

(Bild: 2024 Getty Images)

Former team boss Koller in opening match against Messi
The opening match on June 15 in Miami will be contested by Inter Miami with Lionel Messi and the Egyptian club Al Ahly, coached by former Austrian team boss Marcel Koller, who recently won the African Champions League twice. Bayern Munich will face Auckland City from New Zealand, Boca Juniors from Argentina and Benfica Lisbon. "Exciting, cool group. It will be a great tournament," said Austrian Bayern sports director Christoph Freund on the streaming service DAZN. Manchester City, winners of the last tournament in the old format, have Juventus Turin as one of their opponents.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Chris ARJOON)

The two best clubs will advance to the round of 16. The games will be played in Los Angeles, New Jersey, Atlanta, Seattle, Nashville, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami and Orlando. The tournament is also a test run for the World Cup, in which the best national teams will play for the title in the summer of 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Here are all the groups for the Club World Cup

Group A: Palmeiras Sao Paulo, FC Porto, Al Ahly FC (EGY), Inter Miami (USA)

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo (BRA), Seattle Sounders (USA)

Group C: Bayern Munich (Laimer), Benfica Lisbon, Boca Juniors (ARG), Auckland City (NZL)

Group D: Flamengo Rio de Janeiro, Chelsea, Club León (MEX), Esperance Sportive Tunis (TUN)

Group E: River Plate Buenos Aires, Inter Milan (Arnautovic), CF Monterrey (MEX), Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)

Group F: Fluminense Rio de Janeiro, Borussia Dortmund (Sabitzer), Ulsan HD (KOR), Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)

Group G: Manchester City, Juventus Turin, Wydad AC (MAR), Al Ain FC (UAE)

Group H: Real Madrid (Alaba), RB Salzburg, Al-Hilal (KSA), CF Pachuca (MEX)