Group A
Inter Miami
Inter Miami, who qualified via the sole host nation slot, will bring two world champions to the finals. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi enjoyed a historic campaign at Qatar 2022, taking home the adidas Golden Ball as La Albiceleste lifted the trophy for the first time in 36 years. He will be joined by Sergio Busquets, who helped Spain to their maiden title at South Africa 2010.
Group B
Paris Saint-Germain
A trio of PSG stars helped France to lift the World Cup at Russia 2018. Lucas Hernandez played in every game at the tournament, while Ousmane Dembele featured four times, with the pair also part of the squad which reached the final at Qatar 2022. Presnel Kimpembe made his sole global finals appearance in Russia in a group-stage draw with Denmark.
Atlético de Madrid
No team heading to the tournament can boast a higher number of world champions than Atletico Madrid. Antoine Griezmann and Thomas Lemar were both part of the victorious France team of 2018, with Griezmann scoring in the final win over Croatia en route to the adidas Silver Ball and adidas Bronze Boot. Julian Alvarez, Angel Correa, Rodrigo De Paul and Nahuel Molina all played their part in Argentina’s win in Qatar to take Los Rojiblancos’ total of World Cup winners to an unsurpassed six.
Group C
Bayern München
The Germany squad which took home the first world title since the nation’s reunification at Brazil 2014 contained seven Bayern players. Two remain with the Bavarian giants, in the shape of Thomas Muller and captain Manuel Neuer.
SL Benfica
Portuguese giants Benfica will be led at the Club World Cup by two Argentina icons. Angel Di Maria, who retired from international duty with 145 caps after winning last year’s Copa America, netted the second goal in the nation’s final victory over France in 2022. Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, meanwhile, played every minute in Qatar and is still adding to his 123 caps.
Group D
Chelsea FC
Argentinian Enzo Fernandez is enjoying his best season at Chelsea since his then-British-record £106.8m transfer to the Blues from Benfica. That move came following his standout performances at Qatar 2022, which saw him win the FIFA Young Player Award.
Group E
CA River Plate
Three members of the reigning world champions’ squad are currently playing their football in their homeland for River. Backup goalkeeper Franco Armani has been with the South American giants since 2018, and has since been joined by full-backs Marcos Acuna and German Pezzella.
FC Internazionale Milano
At Russia 2018, defender Benjamin Pavard etched his name into the hearts of World Cup watchers across the globe when he scored the Goal of the Tournament in a 4-3 win over Argentina, en route to France’s success. Four years later, Lautaro Martinez helped La Albiceleste claim revenge over their European counterparts in the Qatar decider.
Group H
Real Madrid
Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe burst on to the international scene in 2017. Just over 12 months later, he was a world champion and the first teenager to score in the final since Pele. At Qatar 2022, he made further showpiece history, becoming just the second player, and the first for 56 years, to net a World Cup final hat-trick.
