FIFA has confirmed the procedures for the Club World Cup draw.
For the first time ever, the Club World Cup will feature 32 qualified teams from AFC, CAF, Concacaf, OFC and UEFA.
The qualified teams have been allocated for four pots of eight teams each, ahead of Thursday’s draw.
Draw to be held on Thursday, 5 December 2024 at 8 pm CAT.
Seeding
Pot 1 consists of the four highest-ranked teams from Europe together with the four highest-ranked teams from South America, while pot 2 consists of the remaining eight teams from Europe.
Pot 3 consists of the two highest-ranked teams respectively from Asia, Africa, and the North, Central America and Caribbean region, alongside South America’s two remaining clubs, while pot 4 consists of the two remaining teams respectively from Asia, Africa, and the North, Central America and Caribbean region, alongside Oceania’s representative and the team representing the host country – Inter Miami CF.
Pot 1: Manchester City (ENG), Real Madrid C. F. (ESP), FC Bayern München (GER), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), CR Flamengo (BRA), SE Palmeiras (BRA), CA River Plate (ARG), Fluminense FC (BRA)
Pot 2: Chelsea FC (ENG), Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Atlético de Madrid (ESP), SL Benfica (POR), Juventus FC (ITA), FC Salzburg (AUT)
Pot 3: Al Hilal (KSA), Ulsan HD (KOR), Al Ahly FC (EGY), Wydad AC (MAR), CF Monterrey (MEX), Club León (MEX), CA Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA)
Pot 4: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN), Al Ain FC (UAE), Espérance Sportive de Tunisie (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), CF Pachuca (MEX), Seattle Sounders FC (USA), Auckland City FC (NZL), Inter Miami CF (USA)
Rules of the draw
No group will include more than one team from the same confederation, excluding UEFA. Clubs from the same member association also cannot be grouped together, so Chelsea and Manchester City, along with Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, will not face one another in the group stage.
Draw Procedure
It will start by drawing all of the teams from team pot 1, then pots 2, 3 and 4. Groups will be filled in order, subject to draw rules.
For Groups A and B, the other teams take the same position as their pot (as Inter Miami and Seattle are in position 4).
For Groups C to H, the position in the group will be drawn. This influences the order of the fixtures.