Chelsea and Manchester City to enter today's Club World Cup draw (Image: GETTY)
The draw for next year's Club World Cup takes place today, with Chelsea and Manchester City the only English clubs involved in the new-look competition.
The expanded tournament will see 32 teams divided into eight groups in a format similar to the regular World Cup. The top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, with the final taking place in New Jersey on July 13, 2025.
It comes after FIFA was left without a TV broadcaster for the rearranged event, with streaming service DAZN set to show the competition for free.
The governing body struggled to generate interest from broadcasters and opted to hand over the rights to DAZN just six months before the tournament began.
Follow our live updates below…
FIFA left blushing as DAZN secures broadcast rights
FIFA is left without a TV broadcaster for next year's Club World Cup, with streaming service DAZN set to show the competition for free.
The governing body had struggled to generate interest from broadcasters, even though the tournament was less than 12 months away.
Earlier this year, it was reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino held an emergency briefing with TV executives to hammer out a commercial deal.
The rights were eventually handed over to DAZN, where viewers will be able to watch the tournament at no additional cost.
Full pots
Here's a look at the teams in each of the four pots…
Pot one: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate, Fluminense.
Pot two: Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Juventus, RB Salzburg.
Pot three: Al Hilal, Ulsan, Al Ahly, Wydad, Monterrey, Leon, Boca Juniors, Botafogo.
Pot four: Urawa Reds, Al Ain, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders, Auckland City, Inter Miami.
How does the draw take place?
The teams involved will be divided into eight distinct groups, made up of one team from each of the four pots.
There is also a 'paired seeding' rule to keep the top teams on opposite sides of the draw, ensuring that Real Madrid and Manchester City cannot face each other until the semi-finals.
This will also apply to Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as well as River Plate and Flamengo.
No group can include more than one team from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA, which will have 12 teams in the draw.
Thus, four of the eight groups will contain two European clubs.
To welcome!
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of the Club World Cup draw, which begins at 6 p.m.
It will take place at a prestigious ceremony in Miami, with all matches set to take place in the United States.
Chelsea and Manchester City are the only two English clubs involved in the draw.
We will be on hand to provide you with the very latest updates and break down any complications as they arise.
Stay tuned!
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1985096/Club-World-Cup-draw-LIVE-Chelsea-Man-City-FIFA