“Dias: FIFA Club World Cup Is a Challenge Everyone Wants to Win”

Manchester City are set to kick off their historic campaign at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States with a trio of intriguing group stage fixtures against Morocco’s Wydad AC, UAE side Al Ain, and a familiar European rival in Juventus.

With 32 teams from six continents converging across 11 cities in a month-long football festival, Pep Guardiola’s treble winners are aiming to add another chapter to their incredible legacy. The competition marks a new era for the FIFA Club World Cup, which has expanded from its traditional seven-team format into a full-fledged tournament akin to the men’s international World Cup.

Dias: “A challenge we’re hungry for”

Speaking in an interview with FIFA, Manchester City defender Rúben Dias shared his excitement for the unique competition and the opportunity to connect with fans abroad.

“It’s a new competition and a prestigious one. We’ve been to America before in pre-season and we feel the warmth. This time, it’s different — it’s competitive, and everyone will want to win.”

Dias emphasized the significance of facing clubs from across the globe, noting the different tactical approaches each continent brings to the table.

“It will be a different challenge because you play teams from different continents with different ways of seeing the game. The adaptation you have to make to do that is a big part of being successful.”

Having qualified by winning the UEFA Champions League in 2023, City arrive in the USA not just as representatives of Europe but as a symbol of consistency and elite football.

“You can be very good, many people in the world are,” Dias reflected. “But at the top level, the biggest thing is consistency. It’s all about how long you can do it for — that’s true quality.”

A festival of football — and unity

The tournament culminates on 13 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where City hope to be among the finalists battling for global supremacy.

Beyond the silverware, Dias believes the competition has a deeper meaning — especially with its reach across continents.

“Football unites the world,” he said. “It’s a collective sport, it brings people together, and it’s a very good example of life… Working as a team, respecting those beside you, learning how to lose — that’s what football teaches.”

City will be one of only two English clubs in the competition, underlining the magnitude of their achievement just to reach the stage. If Guardiola’s men go all the way, it would cement their place among football’s all-time great teams.