São Paulo – Brazil and Arab countries together have nine teams in the FIFA Club World Cup held in the United States. They will face each other in the coming days, starting with Monday’s (16) match at 10 PM (BRT) in Philadelphia, where Brazil’s Flamengo will play Tunisia’s Espérance in a Group D fixture. In the tournament’s first stage, Al Ahly, Egypt’s most popular club, will face Brazil’s Palmeiras in a Group A match scheduled for Thursday (19) in New Jersey.
In the tournament’s opening match held on Saturday (14), Al Ahly was held to a 0–0 draw against Inter Miami, whose squad includes stars like Argentine legend Lionel Messi. Yet to debut in the tournament, alongside Espérance, are Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates and Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, both in Group G, and Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia in Group H. Other Brazilian teams competing are Fluminense and Botafogo.
More matches between Arab and Brazilian teams may occur starting in the round of 16, depending on how each team performs in the tournament. Over the weekend, only Al Ahly, out of the Arab teams, made its debut. Palmeiras drew 0–0 with Portugal’s Porto on Sunday (15), the same day Botafogo defeated the Seattle Sounders 2–1. The competition features 32 teams from all continents, including European giants PSG, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich, as well as Argentine clubs Boca Juniors and River Plate. The teams are divided into eight groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the round of 16.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
