The tournament draw, which was held today, Thursday, placed Al-Ahly in Group One, alongside Brazilian Palmeiras, Portuguese Porto, and Inter Miami .

Mortagy explained in statements to his club’s official channel that the Secretary General of FIFA informed him of the International Federation’s desire to change the date of the opening match, to be held on Saturday instead of Sunday, to ensure the largest possible following, as it is a global event that will be followed by millions in the Arab world and Africa.

Mortaji added that coordination is underway and details will be revealed once they are completed.

Al-Ahly of Egypt, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia , Esperance of Tunisia , Al-Ain of the Emirates, and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco will represent Arab football in the first edition of the tournament in its new system, which includes 32 teams and is held every 4 years, instead of being held annually with the participation of only 7 clubs.

Al-Ahly, who won the bronze medal in the old system of the Club World Cup four times, will play Palmeiras and Porto in the second and third rounds, respectively, after the opening match against Inter Miami, led by the Argentine magician Lionel Messi .

This will be the third encounter between Al Ahly and Palmeiras in the Club World Cup, as the African club of the century previously defeated the venerable Brazilian team on penalties in the match to determine third place and the bronze medal in the 2020 edition of the competition in Qatar, before the Samba boys took revenge for that loss and beat the Red Team 2-0 in the semi-finals of the next edition in 2021 in the Emirates.

In contrast, Al-Ahly, the record holder for the most Arab and African clubs to participate in the Club World Cup in its old format (9 times), has never played an official match against the Portuguese team Porto, which previously won the Champions League title in 1987 and 2004, as well as Inter Miami, which is participating in the World Cup as a representative of the host country.

The first and second place teams from each of the eight groups in the first round will qualify for the round of 16 in the tournament, which will be held in a knockout system until the final match of the competition, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13.

If Al-Ahly qualifies for the round of 16 in the tournament as the leader of its group, it will meet the second-place team in Group Two, which includes Paris Saint-Germain of France , Atletico Madrid of Spain, Botafogo of Brazil, and Seattle Sounders of America. However, if it advances as the runner-up of its group, it will play with the leader of Group Two