United were one of eight teams involved, along with Corinthians, Raja Casablanca, Al-Nassr, Necaxa, South Melbourne, Vasco da Gama, and Real Madrid \u2013 who qualified as previous Intercontinental Cup winners.<\/p>\n
This was the first tournament to take place in the new eight-team format, and presented United with a real dilemma.<\/p>\n
To compete, United had to drop out of the FA Cup<\/a>, with the English authorities unwilling to re-arrange fixtures until the team\u2019s return.<\/p>\n And there was pressure on United to compete in Brazil, to represent the country amid an ongoing bid to host the World Cup.<\/p>\n What can you remember about Man Utd\u2019s ill-fated Club World Cup campaign in 2000? <\/p>\n This was the first XI Man Utd picked at the start of the new millennium<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n Man Utd kicked off with draw vs Necaxa<\/p>\n Manchester United kicked off the tournament against Mexican side Necaxa, playing the opener on January 6, 2000.<\/p>\n And a look back at United\u2019s starting line-up for the fixture shows that Sir Alex Ferguson<\/a> took the game deadly seriously.<\/p>\n He picked his near best available team, with Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole up front. His midfield of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Roy Keane could only have been improved by the addition of Paul Scholes.<\/p>\n United\u2019s back four boasted Denis Irwin, Gary Neville, Jaap Stam and Mikael Silvestre.<\/p>\n Silvestre was the only arguable weak spot in the defence, a solid squad player but not a world class option at the back.<\/p>\n The real weak point was in goal, with Mark Bosnich proving to be a below-par replacement for Peter Schmeichel.<\/p>\n While we can pick apart the XI that Sir Alex Ferguson selected, it was still a far better team than anything Manchester United can deliver today. And it should have been enough to win the game.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s best-laid plans fell apart when David Beckham<\/a> was handed a red card in the first half.<\/p>\n United were already 1-0 down after conceding an early free-kick, before Beckham was shown a straight-red for a studs-up tackle.<\/p>\n The 10-men Red Devils\u2019 tough game continued when Dwight Yorke<\/a> missed a penalty in the second half.<\/p>\n Yorke made amends by scoring an equaliser after substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer created space inside the box.<\/p>\n The 1-1 draw was disappointing, and unfortunately there was worse to come.<\/p>\n Who is the most underrated Manchester United player ever? <\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n What happened next<\/p>\n United crashed out of the tournament with a 3-1 defeat to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in the following group game.<\/p>\n Edmundo and Romario were too good for United\u2019s defence, with Gary Neville<\/a> and Mikael Silvestre both enduring a torrid time.<\/p>\n![\"United](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Predicted-XI-5-819x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1207396-1024x565.jpg\")
6 Jan 2000: David Beckham of Manchesteris sent off during the Manchester United V Necaxa match in the FIFA Club World Championships Brazil 2000 in the Maracana Stadiun in Rio de Janeiro. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill\/ALLSPORTDavid Beckham red card and Dwight Yorke equaliser<\/p>\n