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Ulsan HD to face Dortmund, Fluminense and Sundowns in 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Published: 06 Dec. 2024, 09:46

The screen shows the final groups for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following the draw at Telemundo Studios in Miami on Thursday. [GETTY/YONHAP]

Korean champions Ulsan HD FC will face the German side Borussia Dortmund, the Brazilian club Fluminense FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC of South Africa in the new-look FIFA Club World Cup next year.

The draw for the expanded, 32-club tournament took place in Miami on Thursday, with the United States set to host the competition starting June 15, 2025.

Ulsan will be the lone Korean representative in the tournament, thanks to their rankings in the Asian Football Confederation.

They will be in Group F against Borussia Dortmund, eight-time Bundesliga winners, and Fluminense, the 2023 Club World Cup runners-up and the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners. Mamelodi Sundowns will make their second Club World Cup appearance, after qualifying through their Confederation of African Football ranking position.

There will be eight groups of four, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16.

Two clubs employing Korean players will also be in the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain, featuring midfielder Lee Kang-in, ended up in Group B with Atletico of Spain, Botafogo of Brazil and Seattle Sounders FC of the United States.

Bayern Munich, with center back Kim Min-jae manning the defense, will face Auckland City FC of New Zealand, Boca Juniors of Argentina and Benfica of Portugal in Group C.

No group could feature more than one team from the same confederation, except Europe's UEFA, which has 12 clubs at the tournament. This means that four of the eight groups have two European sides.

Yonhap