Benfica in spot to compete in lucrative Club World Cup

Benfica are in a pole position for a place at the lucrative Club World Cup which is set to take place in 2025 at a currently unknown host country. The new FIFA tournament will showcase 32 clubs from around the world and be played every four years going forward.

UEFA will be awarded twelve spots at the competition with the Champions League winners from 2021 to 2024 automatically qualifying for the competition and the next eight spots going to the best ranked clubs over a four year period (2021 to 2024) with no more then two clubs representing one country with the exception of Champions League winners.

Benfica currently sit in one of the eight best spots to qualify for the tournament with one year left before teams are made official. Currently Chelsea and Real Madrid have already qualified for the tournament from UEFA's zone after claiming the past two Champions League titles with one of Manchester City or Inter Milan set to claim the third spot.

The 32 team club tournament is said to have a prize pot of €50M to spread around the participating clubs based on performance and will feature eight groups of four clubs per group that will take place over the span of a month. Rivals FC Porto are on the cusp of the tournament also.

Florentino has become a wanted man in Europe

Benfica's Florentino Luis has become a wanted man according to reports coming out of Spanish newspaper Relevo, with several clubs vying for his signature. The 23 year-old midfielder had an impressive season for the Portuguese giants after a couple of loan spells away from the club and showcased his defensive abilities and composure on the ball under the tutelage of manager Roger Schmidt.

Florentino's performances have gained the attention, of AC Milan, Lyon and Aston Villa who are all reportedly interested in signing him. Despite being a young player, Florentino has already shown maturity beyond his years. He is comfortable playing in different positions across the midfield and can adapt to different tactical systems. His physicality and work rate make him an asset to any team.

Benfica are said to want €40M to move on from Florentino who has become a fundamental part of Roger Schmidt's system, appearing in 54 games across all competitions and has a contract with Benfica until the summer of 2027 with a buy clause of €120M.

Benfica could face Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in pre-season

Benfica have yet to release their pre-season schedule but information is starting to trickle in from abroad that the Lisbon side will be facing Basel in Switzerland in July and traveling to the Netherlands to take on Feyenoord. Benfica is also set to play in a summer tournament in the Algarve and on the table is the possibility of facing Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club Al-Nassr. The four team tournament could also see Celta Vigo and Crystal Palace join into the mix.

Having seen the Portuguese league season end just one week ago today, Benfica are already in preparation for next year when they will kick off the season in the Super Cup against tomorrows winner of the Taca de Portugal, sometime in early August. Benfica have a direct route to the Champions League this year after winning the league title and should be able to get more friendlies into the schedule then in seasons past.