After much anticipation, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 draw took place on Thursday night in the United States. 

The draw for next year's tournament took place in Miami and was conducted by Juventus and Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero.

To be held in the US between June 15 and July 13, 2025, the revamped continental football club competition will see 32 clubs from around the world compete to be crowned world champions.

The draw meanwhile featured all 32 qualified teams from AFC, CAF, Concacaf, OFC and UEFA, sorted into groups of four. 

The event format ensured that no group included more than one team from the same confederation, excluding UEFA. Teams from the same countries, like Chelsea and Manchester City and Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, also could not be drawn into the same group.

Among the big teams competing at next year's tournament are UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid of Spain, Brazil’s Botafogo who won the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores and Al Ahly of Egypt, who have claimed three of the last four CAF Champions League titles.

European teams have been given 12 places, while South America has six. 

Most expect the eventual winner to come from either of these continents. 

There are also four each from Asia, Africa and North America, with just one representative from Oceania. 

Here's the full list of results from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw.

Group A: Palmeiras (BRA); Porto (POR); Al Ahly (EGY); Inter Miami (USA)

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain (FRA); Atletico Madrid (ESP); Botafogo (BRA); Seattle Sounders (USA)

Group C: Bayern Munich (GER); Auckland City (NZL); Boca Juniors (ARG); Benfica (POR)

Group D: Flamengo (BRA); Esperance de Tunis (TUN); Chelsea (ENG); Leon (MEX)

Group E: River Plate (ARG); Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN); Monterrey (MEX); Inter (ITA)

 Group F: Fluminense (BRA); Borussia Dortmund (GER); Ulsan HD (KOR); Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)

Group G: Manchester City (ENG); Wydad (MAR); Al Ain (UAE); Juventus (ITA)

Group H: Real Madrid (ESP); Al Hilal (KSA); Pachuca (MEX); Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)

For the first time in the tournament’s 24-year history, 32 clubs will take part in the Club World Cup in the same format used in the World Cup, which is contested by nations.

Typically, the Club World Cup has been contested with six to eight teams, but the new format will see the most teams in the competition’s history.

Qualified teams were determined by the winners of the continental club competitions, such as the Champions League, and the confederation’s four-year rankings.

Although the tournament layout is confirmed, the full schedule is yet to be announced. 

The opening match will however take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 15, 2025, while the final will on July 13, 2025 at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey.

Afghanistan’s national team is ready to visit Zimbabwe for an all-format bilateral series that will start on Wednesday, December 11 with the first T20I that will be played in the country’s capital, Harare.

The much-anticipated tour of Zimbabwe consists of three ODIs, three T20Is and two Test matches.

All the white-ball matches will be played in Harare. The two Test matches will be played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Both teams have announced their squads for the white-ball series. Sikandar Raza will lead Zimbabwe in both formats but the Test squad will be announced later.

Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Afghan side in ODIs and Rashid Khan will captain in the T20I matches.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been added to the Afghan side for the Zimbabwe tour.

Squads are as follows:

Afghanistan Vs Zimbabwe ODI:

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine, Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe T20I Squads:

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza, Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava.

Nepal's U19 cricket team pulled off a dramatic one-wicket victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday in the final group match of the U19 Asia Cup in Sharjah, UAE.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Afghanistan U19 were bowled out for 123 runs in 35.4 overs.

Despite the win, Nepal will not progress to the knockout stages, as they lost their earlier matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Afghanistan is also out of the running having now lost all three of their matches. 

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) U19 Asia Cup 2024 started on November 29 and will run through to December 8. 

Eight teams are taking part in the 50-over event, with Bangladesh defending champions. 

As per the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2024 format, the teams have been divided into two groups of four teams each.

Group A has India, Pakistan, Japan and the hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal are clubbed in Group B.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout round after the group stage matches.

The final will be played on December 8.