Arab clubs participating in the 2025 Club World Cup are looking to invest the new formula for the competition with its expanded system, which includes 32 teams to achieve remarkable results, when it begins on June 14th, their journey in the tournament.
For the first time, 5 Arab clubs, the Egyptian Al -Ahly, the Tunisian Esperance, and the Moroccan Wydad for the continent of Africa, the Saudi Crescent and the Emirati Al -Ain for the continent of Asia, while Al -Ahly will win the 2024 African champion, the honor to play the opening match of the championship when he faces Inter -American on June 14.
A week ago, the beginning of the first World Cup for clubs, opinions differed in the Arab football circles on the chances of Al -Hilal, Al -Ain, Al -Ahly, Al -Tarji and Al -Wadad teams and their readiness to achieve advanced roles in the championship.
With the exception of Al -Ahly, in the first group, other Arab clubs will be in front of difficult confrontations that put them in the first round against world champions in the last 4 years, which are Chelsea, Manchester City, English and Real Madrid.
Historical opening and broad aspirations
Al -Ahly Al -Ahly is the most Arab and African clubs attending the Club World Cup, as it participates for the tenth time in the tournament, without considering its recent participation in the Confederations Cup for clubs (Intercontinental), as it is the only Arab team that ended the race in the golden box 4 times, in the 2006 copies, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
The Red Castle team participated in the World Cup clubs for the first time in 2005, and ended the championship in sixth place, and in the following year, during its second participation, he reached the third place to win the bronze medal.
Al -Ahly plays in the first group and begins his career by facing Inter Miami, led by Argentine legend Lionel Messi, then plays with Palmeiras, the Brazilian, on June 19, and concludes his matches in the first round against Portuguese, on the 23rd of the same month.
Al -Ahly reinforced its ranks with new players in preparation for the Club World Cup, as it included Tunisian international Mohamed Ali bin Ramadan from the Hungarian Fenkarfaroshi, Ahmed Sayed Zizou from Zamalek as well as the joining of his former player Hamdi Fathi from the Qatari Al -Wakra on loan and Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet from the Turkish Trabzon Sport, as he contracted with coach Jose Ribeiro.
Muhammad Ali bin Ramadan, the newcomer for Al -Ahly Club, believes that his team is able to achieve the best results in the Club World Cup, as he derives his strength from the position of the club continental, global, experience and quality of its players in order to go far in the championship, he said.
Bin Ramadan said in a statement on the official account of Al -Ahly Club on “X”: “Al -Ahly is a big team and I am proud to carry its colors and start my career with him through a big competition, the atmosphere is great and the reception of the players for me is very happy for me.”
Esperance .. remedy the modest appearance
In turn, the Tunisian Esperance, the summer of the African champion 2024, will be in front of the opportunity to remedy its modest appearance during its past three posts in the World Cup clubs.
Esperance, the bilateral champion in Tunisia, is participating for the fourth time after he had the first appearance in the world event in 2011 and left the race since the first match in the quarter -finals against the Qatari Al -Sadd, and ended the race in sixth place.
In the 2018 and 2019 editions Esperance won fifth place, and in 2019, he won an African victory in the history of the tournament over the Qatari Dam 6-2 in the ranking match to obtain the sixth rank.
The Esperance coach, Maher Al -Kanzari, revealed that his team will have a real challenge and a great opportunity to play with the most powerful clubs in the world with the aim of appearing in an honorable face of the Tunisian and Arab football in the World Cup will be exceptional by all accounts, according to his saying.
“We will play in a difficult group of European champions Chelsea, the newly European conference champion and Flamingo, the great Brazilian team and Los Angeles Galaxy, but we will stick to our fortune Matches.
Esperance begins the championship against Flamengo on June 17 before playing against Galaxy in the same month, to end the first round of Group D against Chelsea.
Wydad and Al Ain .. a new Arab clash
The draw for the World Clubs World Cup, Wydad Moroccan, who was absent from the African front in the past two years, and the Emirati Ain, has left the 2024 Asian champion in Group Seven, which also includes Manchester City and Juventus.
Al -Ain succeeded in strengthening its ranks with new players in anticipation of participating in the championship, as he contracted with the Portuguese international goalkeeper Roy Patricio and the former defender of the Egyptian Al -Ahly Rami Rabia, and also included Moroccan Yahya Bin Khalq and Hussein Rahimi, who will play next to his brother Sufyan at the forefront of Al Ain attack.
As for Wydad, who finished the domestic league race in third place, he contracted with Stefan Aziz Ki, the Burkina Faso and Yang African Tanzanian striker, Nour El -Din Amrabat and Hamza Al Hanouri alongside the Dutch player Bart Mays.
After playing two preparatory matches against the Spanish and Porto Porto and lost one result (1-1), the Wydad mission of the traveler to the United States, provided that the team started its career in the championship by meeting Manchester City on June 18, before facing Juventus in the same month to conclude the first round by meeting the Emirati Ain in a pure Arab confrontation.
To calculate the same group, Al Ain begins his career with Juventus on June 19, then Manchester City on 23, and concludes his matches in the group stage against Moroccan Wydad, on the 26th of the same month.
Al Hilal Saudi .. Repeating the completion of 2021
Al -Hilal Saudi Arabia achieved the best Arab results in the history of the World Cup clubs, as it is with the Moroccan Raja (2013) the two Arab teams who reached the final match.
Al-Hilal, who officially contracted with the Italian coach Simone Inzaghi to take over the technical reins, participates for the fourth time in his history in the World Cup, after he was present for the first time in the 2019 edition in Qatar, when he reached the semi-finals by beating Tunisian Esperance 1-0 and even losing to Flamingo, the 3-1 champion of America, to compete after that for the bronze medal but lost against Monterey.
In the 2021 championship, Al-Hilal defeated Al-Jazira 6-1, to collide in the semi-finals of Chelsea and lose 1-1 before he was exposed to another heavy loss against Al-Ahly in the Egyptian match 4-0.
In the World Cup 2022, Al -Hilal Saudi Arabia achieved the best Arab appearance in the history of the championship, as the final after beating the Moroccan Wydad and then Flamingo in the semi -finals, to face Real Madrid in the final and lose 5-3, winning the silver medal.
Al -Hilal realizes that its mission in the upcoming version will not be easy when it begins its career on June 18, with a strong clash in the eighth group against Real Madrid, the 2022 world champion and the Intercontinental 2024 champion, who contracted with coach Xabi Alonso a few days ago.
Al -Hilal will meet in the second round, the Austrian Salzburg on 23, then the Mexican Pachuca on the 27th of the same month.