Manchester City boss Pep said his team are “lucky” to be part of the 2025 Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States from 14 June to 13 July.
“It’s an honour,” Guardiola told FIFA. “We are lucky because we did very well last season (2023-24) in both the Champions League and the Premier League. This is a new competition and I feel excited to be part of it.”
Guardiola added that his main aim is to improve the team’s way of playing. He said, “It would be great to win the trophy, but there are 31 other clubs that want the same. We’ll see how we finish the season, how we go into the competition together, and then we’ll see how things go.”
The 2025 tournament will be the first time the Club World Cup includes 32 teams. They are split into eight groups. Before, the competition used a knockout format with the champions of each continent.
Manchester City’s Group in the 2025 Club World Cup
Manchester City are in Group G of the 2025 Club World Cup. The group also includes Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, Al Ain from the UAE, and Juventus from Italy.
City will start their World Cup journey against Wydad Casablanca on 18 June. Then, they will face Al Ain on 22 June in their second group game. Their last group match will be against Juventus on 26 June.
In the 2025 Club World Cup, the top two teams in each group go through to the knockout stage. This includes the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.
2025 Club World Cup Groups
Group A: Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Portugal), Al Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (USA).
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), Seattle Sounders (USA).
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Auckland City (New Zealand), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Benfica (Portugal).
Group D: Flamengo (Brazil), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), Club América (Mexico) or Los Angeles FC (USA).
Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan (Italy).
Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).
Group G: Manchester City (England), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Al Ain (UAE), Juventus (Italy).
Group H: Real Madrid (Spain), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Pachuca (Mexico), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria).
