FIFA announces special transfer window for Club World Cup-bound African quartet
FIFA has confirmed that 2025 Club World Cup participants, Sundowns, Al Ahly, Wydad and Esperance, have been granted a special transfer window from 1 to 10 June.
This marks the fifth different version of the prestigious trophy, with defending champions Al Ahly retaining the previous iteration they secured last year.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by a host of football legends, including Teko Modise, Siphiwe Tshabalala, and Lucas Radebe, adding prestige to the occasion.
Current players and coaches from both finalist clubs were also present, including Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Pyramids winger Ibrahim Adel, and head coach Krunoslav Jurcic.
Williams described the newly designed silverware as "amazing" and expressed his eagerness to see teammate Themba Zwane lifting it.
"It looks amazing and is much bigger than the previous one, but it looks good, the design is amazing," Williams told the media after the trophy reveal.
"Now it feels real, it is setting in, it's here now and it is show time. But I'm happy they didn't allow me to touch it because I wouldn't want to touch it before my captain Mshishi [Zwane], he deserves that honour to lift it in the next ten days or so, but we can't wait to get our hands on it."
The first leg of the final will take place this Saturday at 3pm at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
With both teams eyeing continental glory, the match promises high intensity and historic implications - the winners will be the first ever to lift this newly minted trophy.