The 2025 Club World Cup is a first-of-its-kind tournament that, in FIFA’s dreams, is precisely what its name suggests. It’s a 32-team extravaganza modeled after soccer’s actual World Cup, with one key difference: top professional clubs, such as Real Madrid — rather than national teams, such as Spain — are the contestants.
It is scheduled to begin June 14, 2025, in the United States. And when it does, to FIFA, it will be “innovative, inclusive, groundbreaking and truly global.” It represents a novel concept in sports, where the vast majority of pro teams compete exclusively within national or continental borders; the Club World Cup, on the other hand, will feature multinational pro teams — soccer’s equivalent of the New York Knicks or Kansas City Chiefs — from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
It is, in theory, a true world championship. But it’s also controversial. Its launch has been dogged by organizational missteps, financial battles, player workload concerns and resistance from the European soccer establishment. The resistance has been so fierce that, until recently, some insiders questioned whether the 2025 tournament would even happen at all.
Now, though, puzzle pieces are squirming into place. Twelve U.S. stadiums have been chosen. A global broadcast deal with DAZN has been signed. The group-stage draw is complete. The full schedule has arrived.
The Club World Cup, in other words, is happening. And the following is an attempt to explain it, beginning with the basics, then the complexities.
When is the 2025 Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup begins June 14, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Inter Miami will play Egypt’s Al Ahly in the opener at 8 p.m. ET.
It concludes July 13 with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The full schedule — dates, locations, matchups, kickoff times — is here (in grid form), here (in text), and below.
Where is the 2025 Club World Cup?
The 12 U.S. venues set to host games are:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
- Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
- TQL Stadium in Cincinnati
- The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
- Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
- GEODIS Park in Nashville
- MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
- Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida
- Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
- Lumen Field in Seattle
- Audi Field in Washington
MetLife will host nine matches, including both semifinals and the final. Philadelphia and Miami will get eight games apiece. Atlanta, Seattle and the Rose Bowl will get six.
Most venues are on or near the U.S. east coast because of its proximity to Europe, which will send 12 teams, and which boasts coveted media markets. East-coast games will minimize travel (for teams and fans) and inconvenient time differences (for TV viewers).
FIFA also made this decision in coordination with CONCACAF, soccer’s North and Central American governing body, which will stage its continental championship, the Gold Cup, simultaneously and entirely west of the Mississippi River.
Which teams are in the 2025 Club World Cup?
The 32 clubs set to participate are …
- Europe (12): Manchester City (England), Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Inter Milan (Italy), PSG (France), Benfica (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), RB Salzburg (Austria)
- North America (5): Inter Miami (U.S.), Seattle Sounders (U.S.), Monterrey (Mexico), Pachuca (Mexico), León (Mexico)
- South America (6): Flamengo (Brazil), Palmeiras (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil), Botafogo (Brazil), River Plate (Argentina), Boca Juniors (Argentina)
- Asia (4): Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulsan (South Korea), Urawa Reds (Japan), Al Ain (UAE)
- Africa (4): Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad (Morocco), Espérance (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
- Oceania (1): Auckland City (New Zealand)
Why those teams, but not Barcelona, Liverpool and others? How did they qualify?
In 2023, FIFA allocated the Club World Cup’s 32 berths to Europe (12), South America (6), CONCACAF (4), Africa (4), Asia (4), Oceania (1) and the host nation (1).
To earn those berths, there were two qualification routes — one simple, one complicated.
The simple path was via continental championships. Every club that won the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, or the Asian and African equivalents between 2021 and 2024 qualified automatically.
Beyond those champions, slots were filled by a results-based ranking system, but with a caveat: only the top two clubs from any given country could qualify via rankings.
So, even though Liverpool ranked eighth in Europe, the Reds missed out because Man City and Chelsea won the Champions League in 2023 and 2021. Barcelona, meanwhile, ranked two spots behind Atlético Madrid — because Barca underperformed in the Champions League over the last four seasons. Salzburg ranked 18th, but snuck in because others from Spain, Italy and Germany also ran up against the two-per-country cap.
In South America, four different Brazilian clubs swept the Libertadores titles.
The Argentine giants Boca and River secured the two additional seats at the table for the Club World Cup. In Africa, Al Ahly, with three Champions League titles, were joined by Espérance and Mamelodi Sundowns. In CONCACAF, Inter Miami claimed the “host nation slot” after FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s announcement. The Club World Cup format will feature 32 teams in eight groups, with the top two advancing to the Round of 16. The 2025 tournament differs from past iterations, with a new format and structure. The favorites, according to BetMGM, include Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and PSG. The draw sorted teams into eight groups, and the competition will test how non-European clubs fare against Champions League giants. European teams are considered superior, but upsets are possible. The tournament regulations require all clubs to field their strongest team, though there are questions around enforcement. Some big clubs, like Real Madrid, may need incentives to participate. The Club World Cup is fueled by tens of millions of dollars in prize money and appearance fees, making it a lucrative venture for FIFA and the participating clubs. At the beginning of December, there were no television partners confirmed for the Club World Cup, and sponsors were just starting to make an appearance. FIFA was facing a shortfall in funding for the tournament, raising concerns about how participating clubs would be compensated. However, FIFA announced a deal with DAZN to broadcast all 63 games of the Club World Cup for free to viewers worldwide. The financial details of the deal, including any involvement from Saudi Arabia and potential sublicensing to major TV networks, remain unclear. Reports suggest the deal is worth around $1 billion, but the breakdown of the amount allocated to the Club World Cup versus other rights is unknown. In the U.S., DAZN will be the exclusive broadcaster for the tournament, but there is a possibility of sublicensing to local networks. Ticket sales for the group stage matches will begin on December 19, with further details to be announced. Despite budget cuts and delays in planning, the 2025 Club World Cup is expected to be a mix of successes and challenges, with hopes for future success in subsequent editions. The following schedule outlines the upcoming matches in the prestigious soccer tournament:
– Mamelodi Sundowns will face off against Fluminense at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Thursday, June 25 at 9 p.m.
– Urawa Reds will take on Monterrey at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Thursday, June 25 at 9 p.m.
– Inter Milan will compete against River Plate at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday, June 25 at 9 p.m.
Thursday, June 26:
– Juventus will clash with Manchester City at Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 3 p.m.
– Wydad will go head-to-head with Al Ain at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. at 3 p.m.
– Al Hilal will challenge Pachuca at GEODIS Park in Nashville at 9 p.m.
– RB Salzburg will face off against Real Madrid at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 9 p.m.
Friday, June 27:
– Rest day.
Saturday, June 28 – Round of 16:
– A winner will take on B runner-up at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 12 p.m.
– C winner will compete against D runner-up at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 29 – Round of 16:
– B winner will face A runner-up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 12 p.m.
– D winner will challenge C runner-up at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida at 4 p.m.
Monday, June 30 – Round of 16:
– E winner will go against F runner-up at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 3 p.m.
– G winner will clash with H runner-up at Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 9 p.m.
Tuesday, July 1 – Round of 16:
– H winner will take on G runner-up at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida at 3 p.m.
– F winner will compete against E runner-up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 9 p.m.
Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3:
– Rest days.
Friday, July 4 – Quarterfinals:
– 1E/2F will face 1G/2H at Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 3 p.m.
– 1A/2B will challenge 1C/2D at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 5 – Quarterfinals:
– 1B/2A will compete against 1D/2C at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 12 p.m.
– 1F/2E will clash with 1H/2G at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 6 and Monday, July 7:
– Rest days.
Tuesday, July 8 – Semifinals:
– 1A/2B/1C/2D will face 1E/2F/1G/2H at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, July 9 – Semifinals:
– 1B/2A/1D/2C will compete against 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 3 p.m.
Thursday, July 10 – Saturday, July 12:
– Rest days.
Sunday, July 13 – Final:
– The final match will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 3 p.m. sentence: The cat chased the mouse around the house.
The mouse was chased by the cat throughout the entire house.