The draw for the Club World Cup has been made! We know now that our team will face CF Pachuca, Al Hilal and Real Madrid from 15 June 2025. Time to look at the trio in more detail.
CF Pachuca | Mexican moles
With six CONCACAF Champions Cup titles, CF Pachuca are just behind Cruz Azul as the second most successful club in the North and Central American Confederation. The Moles - 'Los Tuzos' – as they are known in recognition of the mining traditions of their town, Pachuca de Soto – are the current CONCACAF Champions, having beaten Columbus Crew of the USA 3-0 in the final. Salomon Rondon, formerly of West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Everton in the Premier League, was the match-winning hero with a brace.
The oldest club in Mexico have finished the latest Liga MX Apertura (one of two annual seasons) in a disappointing 16th - in third last. They still have the Club World Cup to look forward to - in both its new version and its older form. The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the new name of the mini tournament featuring the champions of each confederation - and Pachuca are in action in that next week as they take on Botafogo in Doha for a spot in the semi-final.
Al Hilal | New riches from the desert boss
Our second match will see our boys face Al Hilal. The Saudis are living up to their nickname of Al-Za'eem – the Boss – and are the most successful club in the Asian Champions League with four titles. Their last triumph on that level came back in 2021, but they have added some real stardust since then - with Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic arriving from the Premier League, before UEFA Champions League winnerJoao Cancelo and icon Neymar joined.
In favour of our Red Bulls is the fact we have already face the occasional player or two from the Saudi Pro League champions. A Champions League tie at Napoli in recent years brought us against Kalidou Koulibaly (1-1 draw), while we saw off goalkeeper Bono in his FC Sevilla days in 2021/22 with a 1-0 win that put us into the last 16 in the same competition.
Real Madrid | Europe's number one
Real Madrid need no introduction having been forerunners of the European and Spanish game for years. They have won the European crown six times since 2014, with David Alaba's team-mates claiming the honour again in May as they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. We'll be able to see soon just what they are all about, as our boys face them in January in the current Champions League campaign at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (to the away info).
The clash against Los Blancos will mark the end of our group stage. The exact fixture dates and locations are still to be announced. We do know though how the competition will work, who will broadcast the event and how both Stephan Reiter and Pep Lijnders reacted to the draw.
