English Premier League outfit Manchester City will be one of the 12 European teams to take part in Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25™ in the USA.

Read on to find out more about the Etihad Stadium side, with details on how they booked their ticket to the global tournament, their history and some iconic players.

How they qualified
City secured their place at Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25 with victory over Inter Milan in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League final, claiming one of the 12 berths open to teams who play under European football’s governing body. Spain midfielder Rodri scored the only goal of a tense and dramatic game in Istanbul, with Pep Guardiola’s side relying on two impressive late saves from goalkeeper Ederson to secure a 1-0 victory and their first-ever success in Europe’s premier club competition.

Club history
The current club known as Manchester City was originally formed in 1880 with the creation of a football team for St Mark’s Church, which then evolved into Ardwick AFC in 1887 and then Manchester City Football Club in 1894.

The latest chapter in the rich history of the Citizens began in 2008, when the Abu Dhabi United Group became the new owners of the club, marking the beginning of a period of unprecedented success and the securing of multiple trophies.

Arguably the most iconic of those triumphs came in May 2012, when City scored twice in added time to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Queens Park Rangers to lift their first English Premier League title, and their first top-flight crown in 44 years, courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s unforgettable injury-time winner.

With former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola appointed in the summer of 2016, City have become one of the most eye-catching and dominant teams in the history of English football.

They were crowned European champions for the first time in their history in June 2023 after a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan. That saw City qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup™ the same year, and they went on to lift the global trophy at the first time of asking after a dominant 4-0 final success over Brazil’s Fluminense in Saudi Arabia.

Iconic players

The Argentina international etched his name into English football history, and earned a place in the hearts of every single City supporter, with his last-gasp goal against QPR which ended the club’s long wait for a top-flight title and saw them edge out local rivals Manchester United on goal difference. Aguero would go on to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 260 to his name during a prolific 10-year spell after joining from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011.

Bert Trautmann

Goalkeeper Trautmann’s story has the makings of a movie script. After serving as a German paratrooper in the Second World War, he was captured by the British as hostilities drew to a close and held at a prisoner-of-war camp in Lancashire. Upon his release, he featured for local side St Helens Town, where his performances earned a move to City.

He would go on to make over 500 appearances for the Blues, with the most famous being the 1956 FA Cup final against Birmingham, where a brave and crucial save late in the second half helped secure his side a 3-1 victory. Trautmann played on despite obvious discomfort, with an X-ray later revealing he had suffered a broken neck.

Colin Bell

Many players have a statue erected in their honour. Others will have a stand named after them. Few achieve the dual recognition afforded to Bell, who is immortalised outside the Etihad alongside Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee – his team-mates during a period when the club won all of English football’s major honours and also lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

In 2004, the West Stand at City’s new ground was named after the talented and tireless midfielder who scored over 100 goals in just under 400 appearances. Bell, who would win 48 caps for England, was nicknamed ‘King of the Kippax’ during his playing days, after the home end of the club’s former Maine Road ground.