Benfica find out potential opponents for Club World Cup

Benfica have learned their potential opponents for next summers Club World Cup when FIFA released the pots for this Thursday's draw earlier today which will take place in Miami.

Benfica have been slotted into Pot 2 along with rivals FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and RB Salzburg. These clubs will avoid being grouped together in the competition.

Benfica's potential opponents in the group phase will come out of Pots 1, 3 and 4.

Pot 1 - Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate and Fluminense.

Pot 3 - Al Hilal, Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Ulsan HD, Leon, Monterrey, Boca Juniors and Botafogo.

Pot 4 - Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Hope of Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns and Auckland City. 

This will be the first edition of a 32 club format for the Club World Cup and the potential of €50M to €80M going to the tournament winner should make this an exciting first edition. 

UPDATED 12/05/24

Benfica will be in Group C after draw was held and will be in the same group as Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Auckland City while rivals FC Porto will face Palmeiras, Inter Miami and Al Ahly.

Benfica looking at increasing Estadio da Luz capacity

Benfica's home ground, the Estadio da Luz, is on the brink of a major transformation. President Rui Costa announced plans to boost the stadium's capacity to 70,000 seats yesterday. This bold move aims to welcome more fans and enhance the game day experience for supporters.

Currently, Estadio da Luz holds around 65,000 fans. However, many games see a full house, making it hard for die-hard supporters to get tickets. An expanded stadium would allow more fans to join in the excitement of match days while adding more funds into the club's coffers.

The club did not go into details of the financial side of this expansion, which will be crucial. Benfica would likely look at several channels to fund the project, through sponsorship deals, increased ticket sales and possible public and private partnerships.

Cost estimates for the expansion are not yet public, but it’s clear that sound financial planning will support this ambitious venture. Costa did state that the capacity increase would not change the club's current conditions of security, access, comfort and visibility. More to come on this amazing development.

Benfica opens residential academy in Tampa, Florida

Benfica is taking their world class academy set up abroad as the club gets set to open a residential academy in the Tampa, Florida area. The academy will be located at the state of the art campus of Saint Leo University and be a co-educational academy that will provide a balanced approach to athletic and academic excellence for grades 9 to 12.

Benfica's goal is to become a global leader in youth soccer development. The campus will have 6 soccer fields, a 59,000 square foot wellness center and span 297 acres. Benfica will provide ever academy player with a nutritional plan, an educational goal and provide a social focus on human values.

On the educational side, Benfica will team up with Bishop McLaughlin High School which is a private school for their academy players to attend. The school boost's both a 100% graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate.