FIFA Club World Cup: The lowdown on Fluminense, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD | OneFootball

Fluminense

Name: Fluminense Football ClubLocation: Rio de Janeiro, BrazilStadium: MaracanãLeague: Campeonato Brasileiro AQualification for the Club World Cup: 2023 Copa Libertadores winners

Borussia's opponents in their first group game (17/06, 12:00 local time / 18:00 CEST, MetLife Stadium) will be the four-time Brazilian champions Fluminense, whose ranks include the former Brazil international and Champions League winner Thiago Silva. Fifty-five thousand people packed into the legendary Maracanã Stadium on the evening of 7 June 2024 to celebrate the return of prodigal son and world-class defender Thiago Silva with a huge light show and fireworks display. Never before had so many fans come to a stadium in Brazil for the unveiling of a footballer. The then 39-year-old central defender was returning to the club of his youth after more than 15 years in Europe. There is also a familiar face from the Bundesliga in the Fluminense squad: Renato Augusto. The central midfielder is now 37 years old and returned to Rio, the city of his birth, over a year ago. He played for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga between 2008 and 2012.

Fluminense, the oldest club in Rio de Janeiro, will actually be midway through their domestic season in Brazil during the Club World Cup. Their league matches that were scheduled to take place during the FIFA tournament have been postponed. Although Fluminense celebrated a major triumph in 2023 when they won the first Copa Libertadores title in their history, the club are no longer one of the leading lights in their domestic league. They have not won a league title since 2012 and have only finished in the top three once in the last 10 years. Fluminense's only participation in the Club World Cup in 2023 saw them reach the final, where they lost 4-0 to Manchester City.

Mamelodi Sundowns

Name: Mamelodi Sundowns Football ClubLocation: Pretoria, South AfricaStadium: Loftus Versfeld StadiumLeague: South African PremiershipQualification for the Club World Cup: CAF ranking list

A kit consisting of bright yellow shirts with a green trim, combined with blue shorts and white socks – it might sound like the Brazil national team, but it is actually the attire of the South African record champions Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club, hence their nickname "The Brazilians". Borussia Dortmund will face the South African outfit in their second group game at the FIFA Club World Cup (21/06, 12:00 local time / 18:00 CEST). The TQL Stadium in Cincinnati will be the match venue. The club are based in Pretoria and are the record champions, with 15 league titles since the competition resumed in 1996. They also lifted the trophy in the season that has just finished. Since the 2017/18 season, no other club have managed to become South African champions. While Mamelodi dominate their domestic league, they have won the African Champions League on only one previous occasion – in 2016. The team are back in the CAF Champions League final this season, though; the first leg against Pyramids of Egypt ended 1-1.

The South African club's squad includes Tashreeq Matthews, who joined Borussia Dortmund as an 18-year-old back in November 2018 before being loaned out to Utrecht and Helsingborg. He made two appearances for the Black & Yellows in the Youth League, before moving to Sweden on a permanent basis: he first joined Varberg, then transferred to Sirius. In January 2024, the now 24-year-old returned to his native South Africa and signed on the dotted line for Mamelodi Sundowns. The left-winger made 21 appearances last season, scoring five goals and providing six assists.

Ulsan HD

Name: Ulsan HD Football ClubLocation: Ulsan, South KoreaStadium: Ulsan Munsu Football StadiumLeague: K League 1Qualification for the Club World Club: AFC ranking list

Borussia Dortmund's final match of the group stages will be against Ulsan HD at the TQL Stadium in Cincinatti (25/06, 15:00 local time / 21:00 CEST). The five-time South Korean champions and two-time winners of the AFC Champions League won the K League 1 title for the third time in a row in 2024. The South Koreans will pause their domestic campaign to take part in the Club World Cup; scheduled matches have already been postponed.

The club from Ulsan in the south-east of the country were founded in Incheon, in the north-west of the Republic of Korea. The defence and shipbuilding group HD Hyundai Heavy Industries founded the team under the name Hyundai Horang-i in 1983. However, the company decided to relocate the club to the north-eastern province of Gangwon-do in 1987. They relocated again in 1990, and have been based in Ulsan ever since.

Ulsan are one of the most successful teams in Korea, with the majority of their success coming in the recent past. The club have won three of their five South Korean league titles since 2022, while their victories in the Champions League of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2012 and 2020 are not all that far back. The club took part in the Club World Cup in 2012 and 2020, losing in the quarter-finals on both occasions.