FIFA Club World Cup
Just as you thought the long football season had ended, world governing body FIFA relaunched its revamped competition which brings together the world’s finest teams, asking the question: which is the best club team on the planet?
The 32-team tournament runs from 14 June to 13 July in America, and the good news is that Channel 5 will be covering 23 games, including two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final.
The teams selected to compete have either won their premier club competition between 2021 and 2024 or qualified via a world ranking pathway, with places distributed between the international football confederations. As host nation, the USA was granted an extra place, awarded to the winner of the 2024 MLS Supporters Shield – which happened to be Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham and captained by one Lionel Messi, so that all worked out nicely.
Following concerns from the Premier League that players are already playing too many matches each year, the Club World Cup’s introduction is not without its critics. However, with a reported prize for the winner of £100 million, can teams afford not to participate? Regular readers of Inside Sport may recall that we debated the value of the competition back in February.
UEFA, which was given 12 places for the tournament, has entered some household names from across Europe, including Chelsea, Man City, Real and Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Juventus, Inter Milan and Porto. These will be matched up against top clubs from around the globe including Boca Juniors (ARG), Flamengo (BRA), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), Seattle Sounders FC (USA), WyDad Casablanca (MAR), CF Pachuca (MEX), Al Ain FC (UAE), Auckland City FC (NZL) and the Urawa Red Diamonds (JAP).
Sports Bites
Rugby
The British & Irish Lions travel to the other side of the world this month to start their summer tour, which will feature six pre-test matches against local teams followed by three test matches against the Australian national side in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The Lions are made up of selected players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It will be the first time in eight years travelling fans will be able to see The Lions in action.
Basketball
Across the pond in America the NBA (National Basketball Association) finals run from 5-22 June. The title will be decided in a seven-game series between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conferences. As we went
to print at the semi-final
stage, the Indiana Pacers
were leading the New
York Knicks 2-1 in the East
while the Oklahoma City Thunder were leading the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 in the West.
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