CNN
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Inter Miami will play Egypt’s Al Ahly in the first game of next year’s revamped Club World Cup after the draw was made on Thursday.

The competition, which has expanded to include 32 teams from around the world, will be held at 12 different venues across the United States.

It is seen as a warm-up exercise in the event that the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026 along with Canada and Mexico.

President-elect Donald Trump took part in the often chaotic draw, addressing the audience via a pre-recorded video message. FIFA President Gianni Infantino called him his “very special friend.”

“The event will be incredible. I’ll try to be there if I can,” Trump said, before praising Infantino and looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup.

He added: “Football is booming, as everyone knows, it’s going fantastically well.”

While Trump was unable to attend the ceremony, his daughter Ivanka was in attendance along with her son. The pair chose the first team from the draw.

The 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams each. The winner and runner-up qualify for the knockout rounds. The final is scheduled to take place on July 13th.

Teams qualified in various ways, mostly based on their recent results in various competitions.

Inter Miami, controversially chosen to represent the United States in the competition despite not winning the MLS title this season, was drawn in Group A alongside Brazil’s Palmeiras, Portugal’s FC Porto and Al Ahly.

Led by Lionel Messi, the Florida club will play the first game of the tournament against the Egyptian team on June 15 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid will face Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, Pachuca from Mexico and RB Salzburg from Austria in Group H.

However, perhaps the most successful group game takes place in Group G, where Manchester City and Juventus meet.

The tournament, which former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once described as a “mistake,” is now played every four years. Previously, the event was held once a year and featured only seven teams from around the world who had won their continental club championship, as well as the teams from the host countries.

Earlier this year, players’ unions and leagues took legal action against FIFA to oppose the introduction of the new format. They argue that the football calendar is already too full and the competition will place unfair demands on the players.

At a FIFA congress in May, Infantino said that FIFA “organizes around 1% of the games of the world’s top clubs.” 98-99% of the games are organized by the various leagues, associations and confederations.

“FIFA funds football around the world. The revenue we generate goes not just to a few clubs in one country, but to 211 countries around the world. There is no other organization that does this.”

Next year’s tournament is scheduled to start just over two weeks after the Champions League final. The 63 games will be streamed worldwide for free on DAZN.

Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al-Ahly, Inter Miami

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica

Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Club León

Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, RB Salzburg