Jack Grealish Excluded from Man City’s Club World Cup Squad
Jack Grealish has not been selected for Manchester City’s upcoming Club World Cup roster. His position in the team has diminished under Pep Guardiola, and although he has two years remaining on his contract, Grealish is eager to compete for his spot.
This recent omission raises the possibility of a summer transfer, with a loan move being a viable option given his salary considerations.
Format of the Club World Cup
The Club World Cup is structured similarly to the FIFA World Cup, but for club teams. It includes 32 teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stages. The process begins with the last-16 round, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, and culminates in the final. Notably, there is no third-place match for the semi-final losers.
Manchester City’s new summer signings are set to participate, including goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, and midfielders Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki. Mateo Kovacic is injured, while James McAtee has chosen to represent England Under-21s this summer.
Midfielder Rodri has been called up as he recovers from injury, but Kevin De Bruyne was not included in the squad despite being under contract until June 30.
Complete Squad for the Club World Cup
Goalkeepers: Marcus Bettinelli, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Ederson
Defenders: Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Vitor Reis, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov
Midfielders: Nico O’Reilly, Tijjani Reijnders, Jeremy Doku, Nico Gonzalez, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Matheus Nunes, Rayan Cherki, Claudio Echeverri, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis
Forwards: Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush
Upcoming Matches and Prize Money
City’s first matches include facing Wydad AC on June 18 at 5pm, Al Ain FC on June 22 at 2am, and Juventus on June 26 at 8pm. Should City win Group G, they will compete against Group H’s runners-up on June 31. The group includes Real Madrid, CF Pachuca, FC Salzburg, and Al Hilal.
The Club World Cup winners stand to earn up to £97m ($125m) from FIFA, with total prize money amounting to £774m ($1bn) shared among the 32 participating clubs.
