Stars react to FIFA Club World Cup match-ups

Players, coaches and officials have reacted to the Club World Cup draw that will be played in the United States from June 16 next year, and despite being six months away, they are all already hard at work plotting their path to the final.

The draw produced a string of heavyweight match-ups, fascinating sub-plots and regional rivalries. Here is some of the best reactions from across the planet to how the eight groups are shaping up.

Group A: SE Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly FC, Inter Miami CF

“We will have three extremely difficult games in the group stage, but we will prepare ourselves in the best way possible to seek qualification. It is an honour and a joy to compete in the most important club competition in the history of world football.”
Leila Pereira, Palmeiras president

“As players, we gathered to watch the draw together and I think it’s a balanced and good group that includes strong teams such as Inter Miami, Porto, and Palmeiras. I believe we have the ability to reach the knockout stage of the tournament.”
Mohamed El-Shenawy, Al Ahly captain

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders FC

“It’s an honour for all Atlético fans to participate in the first edition of the FIFA Club World Cup. We have a very difficult group, with three high-level opponents. PSG are a great side, with a brilliant manager and really high-level players. We faced them a few weeks ago [in the UEFA Champions League] and it was a tough battle. It’ll be a difficult debut in the competition. Botafogo just won the Copa Libertadores, showing their enormous potential. The Brazilian sides are brilliant and will make like very difficult for us. Seattle Sounders are one of the best sides in the United States, who keep raising their level every season, and they will be very dangerous and competitive given that they are playing at home. I think it is the most difficult group in this first phase and there will be some great games for the fans”.
Enrique Cerezo, Atlético de Madrid president

“I saw this [Luis Enrique saying that Botafogo would fall into the PSG group]. I want to say that I trust and love anyone with the name Luis Enrique. I saw it, I thought it was super funny and how prophetic, right? He’s a great guy, a great coach. I think Botafogo will shock some people. I believe we are the best team in South America. They play good football in Europe, and so do we.”
John Textor, Botafogo’s owner

“If I look at it from my lens as a soccer fan, a guy who grew up in Seattle, I think it’s unbelievable. You’ve got the biggest club in France. You’ve got a Spanish team that is unbelievably talented, a legendary coach, and then the Copa Libertadores champion. And Joao Paulo, one of our players, actually played for Botafogo. So I mean, just three really fantastic clubs from a fan perspective.”
Brian Schmetzer, Seattle Sounders head coach

Group C: FC Bayern München, Auckland City FC, CA Boca Juniors, SL Benfica

“It’s a great honour to be able to play the Club World Cup with Bayern Munich. I’m really looking forward to this new tournament, where we players can compete against the best in the world at club level. As a player, you always want to play at the highest level. I’m very excited about the matches and who will be the first winners of this new format.”
Harry Kane, Bayern Munich striker

“I’ve never played professionally in my life and never did I think I’d be playing against someone like Harry Kane. I never even thought I could watch someone like that in a stadium let alone go toe-to-toe with them.”
Mario Ilich, Auckland City midfielder

“It’s a difficult group. Bayern Munich, at European level, we’ve never managed to beat. And also Boca Juniors, which is one of the most historic teams in South America. Then Auckland, who we know less about, but who I believe come with the same ambitions as the others. We will do everything we can to get through the group stage, which is our objective. It is a very important competition, a historic moment. We don’t come here to see the party. We want to get as far as possible.”
Rui Costa, Benfica president

Group D: CR Flamengo, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Chelsea FC, Club León
“Our bracket is difficult, but I’m very confident. We’ll reach the tournament a good moment, still in the middle of the year, when the team won’t be as tired as it usually is at the end of the year.”
Rodolfo Landim, Flamengo president

“We’ve been placed in a tough group, which is a motivating challenge and, in itself, a good thing. This competition also gives us a unique opportunity to experience a wide variety of playing styles from all over the world. We will do everything we can to progress through this group stage and proudly represent our colours.”
Laurentiu Reghecampf, Espérance Sportive de Tunis coach

Group E: CA River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, CF Monterrey, FC Internazionale Milano

“We look at rivals objectively and not as something personal. You have to analyse the parties individually. The story of [Martin] Demichelis [Monterrey coach and former River Plate coach and player] has a lot to do with River, we know. We also knew before that we could face each other [Javier Zanettii] in the final. Inter is an opponent with great history. But they are all tough to play against.”
Jorge Brito, River Plate president

“It’s an interesting draw for us. I thought maybe two Europeans would get in, but we got one team from Europe, the others from Mexico and Argentina, so we are playing against three different football cultures. It will be a big challenge for Urawa. It is no secret that the team needs new blood and new players. We need strong characters to achieve our goals.”
Maciej Skorza, Urawa Reds coach

“River Plate are a big club, a great institution and they have a great manager. We’ll have to prepare in the best way. To face a team like River is very difficult, they have great players. It will be a wonderful match.”
Javier Zanetti, Inter Milan vice-president

“Yesterday I told my brother that I wanted to play against Inter and River Plate. I wanted to play against teams I had never played before. The Mexican teams and the South American teams maybe don’t have so many references in Europe, but I think they are going to surprise at the World Cup. There is a lot of talent and a lot of desire to do well.”
Oliver Torres, Monterrey midfielder

Group F: Fluminense FC, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns FC
“The fact that the best teams from all continents and confederations of recent years come together at the FIFA Club World Cup is perhaps best demonstrated by our group: we have four teams and four continents. Personally, I think it’s great that we’re facing a Brazilian team because of our long tradition of BVB players coming from Brazil. We’ve earned the right to be here over the years through our performance. And we’ll take this competition very seriously.”
Lars Ricken, Borussia Dortmund managing director

“It’s a question of mindset and confidence. Football must be played and then it will be 11 against 11. You have to go out on the field and perform as well as possible. Borussia Dortmund is a traditional club, and the same goes for the other two clubs in their countries.”
Branco, Fluminense legend

“After seeing the interest and effort from FIFA to create this tournament, I can feel that the Club World Cup is just around the corner. This is a hard earned opportunity for us. We will be going to the Club World Cup in our strongest form and try to make it a successful tournament for us.”
Kim Kwang-guk, Ulsan HD general manager

“I am so happy to see the name Mamelodi Sundowns listed among the best clubs. I got goosebumps just seeing our name on the screen. It’s such an emotional moment and an incredible achievement for the club.”
Ronwen Williams, Mamelodi Sundowns captain

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain FC, Juventus FC

“It’s quite an exciting draw. [We’ve drawn] one team we’ve played a lot and actually play them next week [in the UEFA Champions League], Juventus. It’s a big game, we’ve always had big games against them. Then there’s two teams we’ve never played so it’s going to be an interesting group. They’re tough opposition, so there are going to be good games.”
Roel de Vries, Manchester City Chief Operating Officer

“We will meet one of the favourites for the trophy, Manchester City; in general it will be a tough group, and the opponents are excellent teams. The tournament seems wonderful to me, it is new and there is much to discover”
Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus legend

“I am satisfied with this draw. I wanted us to be in the same group as Manchester City, and that wish has been granted. Facing a coach I admire greatly, like Pep Guardiola, motivates me. We now have six months to be at our best and show the world what we, Wydad Athletic, are capable of achieving.”
Rulani Mokwena, Wydad AC coach

Group H: Real Madrid C. F., Al Hilal, CF Pachuca, FC Salzburg

“We’re hugely excited by the start of this competition and we want to try and win it. Pachuca is a Mexican club with great tradition and it won’t be an easy game. We faced Al Hilal in the Club World Cup final and they’re a club that has really grown and boast top quality players. They’re bound to be dangerous. And we’re set to play Salzburg in the Champions League in January as well”.
Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid Institutional Relations Director

“It is a great pleasure for us that our Salzburg way has now led us to the FIFA Club World Cup, where we will be competing against the world’s best club teams of recent years. I think that this participation is not only a great honour for FC Salzburg, but also a recognition of the entire Austrian club football system, which has steadily developed in recent years.”
Stephan Reiter, Managing Director of FC Salzburg