Bayern's potential FIFA Club World Cup opponents | OneFootball

Which teams could FC Bayern meet in the new-look group phase of the FIFA Club World Cup? This will be decided on Thursday evening (19:00 CET) at the draw in Miami. fcbayern.com gives an overview of the potential opponents.

These are the teams Bayern could face

Bayern have been placed in pot 1 together with European rivals Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, River Plate of Argentina and Brazilian clubs CR Flamengo, SE Palmeiras and Fluminense FC. The German record champions cannot play these teams in the group stage, as their three opponents will come from pots 2, 3 and 4.

Like in the Champions League, clubs from the same country cannot end up in the same group, meaning the Munich men won't be drawn against Borussia Dortmund. Meetings with other European teams are possible, though: the rule that clubs from the same association can't meet in the group stage does not apply to UEFA. That leaves Vincent Kompany's side with a total of 23 potential group opponents.

Pot 2

Revenge for defeat in the 'Finale dahoam': Franck Ribéry and Co. beat Chelsea 7-6 penalties in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup.

Some big names await the Munich men here. There's Chelsea, with whom FCB have produced some memorable encounters on the European stage, including the penalty shootout defeat in the Finale dahoam in 2012 and the victory on penalties in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup. Juventus (6-4 in the 2016 Champions League round of 16), Inter Milan (0-2 in the 2010 final) and Atlético Madrid (2-2 in the 2016 semi-finals) also bring back memories of nerve-wracking Champions League nights. A German-Austrian encounter with Red Bull Salzburg is a possibility, too. In current Champions League opponents Benfica and Porto, there are also two Portuguese teams in pot number two.

Pot 3

Giovane Élber and Co. pressured the Boca Juniors goal in vain for 109 minutes, before Sammy Kuffour rescued the German record champions in extra time.

The names of the clubs in pot 3 are probably less familiar to most Bayern fans, although Boca Juniors are well known to supporters of the German record champions, especially as the Reds won a title in their only previous meeting with the Argentinian giants. In the 2001 FIFA Club World Cup final, Sammy Kuffour bundled the ball over the line from a corner to score the winning goal in the 109th minute. Bayern have already met Al Ahly FC in the semi-finals of the 2020 Club World Cup, with coach Hansi Flick's side beating the Cairo outfit 2-0 before going on to lift the trophy in the final.

There could be a reunion with João Cancelo and his current club Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia, whose squad also includes Brazilian star Neymar. The other possible opponents from pot 3 are Ulsan HD (South Korea), Wydad AC (Morocco), Botafogo (Brazil), CF Monterrey and Club León (both Mexico).

In the semi-finals of the 2020 Club World Cup, the treble winners starring Kingsley Coman beat Al Ahly FC 2-0.

Pot 4

One name above all stands out in pot 4: Inter Miami. The team of eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, whose other household names include Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez, are not the only side from the host nation who Bayern could come up against in the group stage: the Seattle Sounders are also potential opponents. The rest of the fourth pot is made up of Auckland City (New Zealand), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Al Ain FC (UAE), Espérance Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) and CF Pachuca (Mexico).

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