FIFA Club World Cup buzz is building
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The summer of soccer will take a new look this year with the FIFA Club World Cup, which comes to the U.S. for the first edition of the expanded competition that will see 32 teams from around the world compete for a share of the $1 billion prize purse.
Al Ahly comes out of Egypt having qualified after winning the CAF Champions League in 2020-21. This is the club’s 10th trip to the CWC, and fourth year in a row. Al Ahly has finished third in three of the last four tournaments.
After Lionel Messi lit up the Club World Cup opener, Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium was awash in Argentine passion again as Boca Juniors fans turned it into a little Buenos Aires for their team’s 2-2 draw with Benfica on Monday.
The Club World Cup has been beset by organisational challenges ahead of the first edition of the revamped 32-team tournament in the U.S.
Thirty-two clubs from around the world will compete in the Club World Cup, which begins Saturday night when Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hosts Al Ahly, the champions of the Egyptian Premier League. Messi and Miami are +100 favorites on the three-way moneyline for Saturday’s curtain-raiser.
The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, "Messi mania" and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.
Lionel Messi faces plenty of pressure in Inter Miami's next two matches in the Club World Cup after it played to a scoreless draw in Saturday night's opener with Al Ahly.