Auckland set to play giants
The draw for the FIFA Club World Cup have pitted Auckland City FC against European and South American giants.
The draw for the newly rebranded and restyled tournament took place in Miami.
And the greatest club team in OFC Champions League history have been put in a very tough group.
They will play Germany’s Bayern München, Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Portuguese side Benfica.
The newly revamped club competition uses the traditional 32-team format used by the World Cup from 1998 to 2022.
Eight round-robin groups of four teams each were drawn Thursday, with the top two from each group advancing to a knockout bracket of 16.
Europe got 12 spots and South America six to lead the field, while Africa, Asia and North America all got four — with Inter Miami essentially a fifth from North America since it has host status. Oceania got one spot.
The groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, 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, Salzburg.
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