The FIFA Club World Cup, taking place in 2025, is the newest club competition that will take place in the United States next summer.
The event highlights the ever-growing nature of FIFA, with countries represented from each of the six international confederations: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA.
In December 2022, the FIFA Council approved the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup from its current seven-team tournament to one comprising of 32 teams. Rather than being held every December, the tournament would now be held every four years, taking place in the summer months.
Champions League 2024/25: How the new format works & current standings
UEFA has changed the Champions League format for the 2024/25 season. Here’s an overview of how things work and the current standings after Matchday 2.
1 ByAlex Caple
In its current guise, the FIFA Club World Cup features just seven clubs, with the champions from UEFA and CONMEBOL receiving byes into the semi-finals. Manchester City won the 2023 edition after a 4-0 victory over Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense.
FIFA is expanding the tournament to increase interest and global appeal, with more teams taking part from previously neglected African and Asian confederations such as CAF and AFC, which will help to up its popularity and reach.
Club World Cup qualified teams
The qualification format is slightly more complicated compared to the previous editions of the tournament. Previously, a club secured a place in the Club World Cup if they won their federation’s continental championship.
With the expansion to 32 teams from 2025 onwards, there are several spots up for grabs in every international federation aside from OFC, with just one team making it via the ranking pathway.
Four teams from CAF, AFC and CONCACAF will qualify. If a team has won the continental championship more than once in the preceding four years, another team will qualify via the rankings.
Europe will have 12 qualifiers – four via the champions pathway and eight from the ranking pathway, with the latter taking overall performances in the Champions League into account. South America’s CONMEBOL federation has the second-highest number of entries. Six teams – four from the champions pathway and two from the rankings pathway – will qualify for the tournament.
Finally, one club from the host nation will take part, making up the 32 teams to fight it out for the title.
Team (country)
Nation
Federation
Method of qualification
Al Ahly
Egypt
CAF
CAF Champions League winner
Wydad
Morocco
CAF
CAF Champions League winner
ES Tunis
Tunisia
CAF
CAF ranking pathway
Mamelodi Sundowns
South Africa
CAF
CAF ranking pathway
Al-Hilal
Saudi Arabia
AFC
AFC Champions League winner
Urawa Red Diamonds
Japan
AFC
AFC Champions League winner
Al Ain
UAE
AFC
AFC Champions League winner
Ulsan HD FC
South Korea
AFC
AFC ranking pathway
Chelsea
England
UEFA
UEFA Champions League winner
Real Madrid
Spain
UEFA
UEFA Champions League winner
Manchester City
England
UEFA
UEFA Champions League winner
Bayern Munich
Germany
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
PSG
France
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Inter
Italy
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Porto
Portugal
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Benfica
Portugal
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Borussia Dortmund
Germany
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Juventus
Italy
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Atlético Madrid
Spain
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
RB Salzburg
Austria
UEFA
UEFA ranking pathway
Monterrey
Mexico
CONCACAF
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Seattle Sounders
United States
CONCACAF
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Club Leon
Mexico
CONCACAF
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Pachuca
Mexico
CONCACAF
CONCACAF Champions Cup
Auckland City
New Zealand
OFC
OFC rankings pathway
Palmeiras
Brazil
CONMEBOL
Copa Libertadores winner
Flamengo
Brazil
CONMEBOL
Copa Libertadores winner
Fluminense
Brazil
CONMEBOL
Copa Libertadores winner
River Plate
Argentina
CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL rankings pathway
Boca Juniors
Argentina
CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL rankings pathway
Inter Miami
United States
CONCACAF
Host nation slot
TBD
Brazil/Uruguay
CONMEBOL
2024 Copa Libertadores winner
Club World Cup format and draw details
The format of the Club World Cup will be the same format used in the World Cup between 1998 and 2022, with the exception of a third-place play-off.
Eight groups of four teams will compete in a round-robin phase. The top two finishers in each group will secure a place in the round of 16.
From the round of 16 to the final, a direct single-match knockout stage will take place, with there being no third-place playoff. The draw for the group stage took place in December 2024.
FIFA Club World Cup Current Champions Manchester CityFounded 2000Most Championships Real Madrid (5)
DAZN
Watch all FIFA Club World Cup games free on DAZN. The biggest clubs and the best players in the world compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Watch Every Game Live on DAZN Club World Cup host and venues
The United States was announced as the host nation in June 2023, with the tournament being held between 15th June and 13th July, during the traditional off-season for many countries.
12 venues will host 63 matches during the tournament. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New York, New Jersey. A full list of the venues can be seen in the table below.
Stadium
City and state
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
TQL Stadium
Cincinnati, Ohio
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
Rose Bowl Stadium
Los Angeles, California
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami, Florida
GEODIS Park
Nashville, Tennessee
MetLife Stadium
New York, New Jersey
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Florida
Inter&Co Stadium
Orlando, Florida
Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lumen Field
Seattle, Washington
Audi Field
Washington, D.C.
Tournament controversy
While the event will give opportunities to teams who may never have had the chance to participate in the previous version of the tournament, the expansion has also garnered plenty of controversy.
One such complaint is the fact the event adds even more matches to the global footballing calendar than ever before. The recent expansion of the UEFA Champions League means the top teams are playing more continental fixtures compared to years gone by.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) says that the expansion is placing more stress on professionals as they are being pushed too hard.
Even the players are concerned over the way the game is going. “We have too many games, and it’s putting our careers and health at risk,” said Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in September, a week before the Spaniard tore his ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
The midfielder played a staggering 50 games for Manchester City last term before featuring six times for his country as they won Euro 2024. Rodri would have only taken a couple of weeks off before going again in August, heightening his chances of injury.
Why Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Not even a season-ending injury could stop Manchester City’s Rodri from claiming football’s biggest individual prize.
ByBarney Lane
Another controversy surrounds the broadcast deals for the tournament. FIFA is yet to secure any media deals for the competition with less than 12 months until it begins, although the $4bn (£3.1bn) target set by the governing body appears to have put the majority of potential broadcasters off.
Apple had reportedly made a $1bn deal for the global rights, according to The Athletic. However, FIFA reverted to a traditional media rights sale.
Club World Cup 2029
The 2029 edition will be the second event to feature 32 teams, which will feature the winners of the four previous continental championships.
In terms of hosting, Australia and New Zealand are preparing a joint bid to host the 2029 tournament.
Furthermore, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco – who are all hosting the 2030 World Cup – are looking at a bid for the second edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in order to prepare for the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.
Readers like you help support Football FanCast. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.