The FIFA Club World Cup – Everything You Need To Know About The Controversial 2025 Tournament
By Ian John
on April 24th, 2025
in bet365 Sports
This summer sees the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup taking place, a familiar name, but a brand new format.
Thirty-two of the best teams from all six FIFA Confederations will be taking part in this first of what is expected to become a once-in-four-year celebration of club football at the highest level.
With over a billion dollars in prize money available, thanks to a sponsorship agreement with the Saudi Arabian private investment fund, this will be comfortably the richest club competition in football, with all prize money handed out to clubs.
However, the tournament has not been without controversy, due to FIFA’s insistence that teams must play full-strength teams, the host nation spot being awarded to Inter Miami, rather than the MLS Cup winners, the hosting the tournament in the United States under the Trump administration and the fact that one team, Club Leon, has been expelled from the competition due to sharing the same owners as another club, Pachuca.
Regardless of that, the tournament will go ahead this summer and in this article, we’ll learn all about it and how you can enjoy the competition!
Betting on it is expected to be fierce and bet365 Sport will be offering plenty of markets on every game throughout the tournament, as well as on the tournament itself. If you are not yet a member, why not sign up today using the fantastic bet365 Welcome Offer outlined below?
Min Deposit: £5 – Expiry: 30 days – Min Odds: 1/5 (1.20)
New Customers only. Bet £10 and get £30 in Free Bets when you join bet365. Sign up, deposit between £5 and £10 to your account and bet365 will give you five times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value settle. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. The bonus code BET247 can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Registration Required.
So let’s now begin with a look at the most obvious question most people have about this brand new tournament.
The FIFA Club World Cup is a brand new tournament featuring 32 club teams from around the world, which has inherited its name from a previous annual tournament, now renamed the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
FIFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino has claimed that this will be a FIFA World Cup tournament, but for club sides rather than international teams.
Played once every four years, scheduled to take place one year before the actual FIFA World Cup, it will feature 32 teams from all six FIFA confederations that have been the best teams in each confederation’s main international club tournament over the past four years.
North & Central America – CONCACAF Champions League
The team’s performance over the four qualifying years in their respective qualifying tournament for the FIFA Club World Cup will decide who qualifies for the next tournament.
So for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup tournament, winners and best performances in the 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 tournaments will count towards qualification for the event in four years’ time.
When and Where Will The Tournament Be Contested?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be hosted in the United States and will take place from June 14th to July 13th 2025.
At the time of writing, no venue for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup has been announced.
Stadia and Capacities Used in 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
12 venues across eleven cities in the United States will be used for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. They are:
Rose Bowl – 88,500 (Pasadena, California)
MetLife Stadium – 82,500 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Bank of America Stadium – 75,000 (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – 75,000 (Atlanta, Georgia)
Lincoln Financial Field – 69,000 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Lumen Field – 69,000 (Seattle, Washington)
Hard Rock Stadium – 65,000 (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Camping World Stadium – 65,000 (Orlando, Florida)
Geodis Park – 30,000 (Nashville, Tennessee)
TQL Stadium – 26,000 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Inter&Co Stadium – 25,000 (Orlando, Florida)
Audi Field – 20,000 (Washington DC)
Who Is Competing In The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
32 Teams from all six FIFA-affiliated confederations are competing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. They are:
1 Host Team (United States) – Inter Miami
12 Teams from Europe (UEFA) – Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Juventus, Benfica, Red Bull Salzburg
6 Teams from South America (CONMEBOL) – Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, Boca Juniors
1 Team from Oceania (OFC) – Auckland City
4 Teams from North & Central America (CONCACAF) – Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Pachuca & TBD* (LAFC or Club America)
4 Teams from Africa (CAF) – Al Ahly, Wydad AC, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns
4 Teams from Asia (AFC) – Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Ulsan HD
*This spot was originally allocated to Club Leon, however Leon were removed from the tournament as they have the same owners as Pachuca. A playoff match between Los Angeles FC and Club America will be contested to decide who will replace Leon in the tournament.
How is the FIFA Club World Cup Tournament Organised?
There are two phases to the FIFA Club World Cup tournament, at least for the 2025 tournament. This mirrors the same system used in recent FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Phase 1 – The Group Stage – All 32 teams compete in eight groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group qualify for Phase 2 of the tournament.
Phase 2 – The Knockout Stage – 16 Qualifying Teams start the knockout phase comprising of eight Round of 16 matches, four quarterfinals, two semifinals and the final.
Phase 1 – Group Stage
The draw for the Group Stage has already been made and the following groups were decided.
Group A – Al Ahly, Inter Miami, Palmeiras, FC Porto
Group B – Paris St Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C – Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D – Flamengo, Esperance de Tunis, Chelsea, TBD (Club America or LAFC)
Group E – River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F – Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G – Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H – Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg
You can see the 48 Group Stage fixtures for the tournament by following this link.
Phase 2 – Knockout Stage
Sixteen teams qualify for the knockout phase, the top two teams from each of the eight groups in the Group Stage.
The draw has already been made for the knockout phase of the tournament and is as follows.
Round of 16 Matches
June 28 – Match 49 – Winner Group A vs Runner Up Group B (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
June 28 – Match 50 – Winner Group C vs Runner Up Group D (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte)
June 30 – Match 51 – Winner Group B vs Runner Up Group A (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte)
June 30 – Match 52 – Winner Group D vs Runner Up Group C (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
June 29 – Match 53 – Winner Group E vs Runner Up Group F (Mercedes Benz, Atlanta)
June 29 – Match 54 – Winner Group G vs Runner Up Group H (Miami Gardens, Miami)
July 1 – Match 55 – Winner Group F vs Runner Up Group E (Mercedes Benz, Atlanta)
July 1 – Match 56 – Winner Group H vs Runner Up Group G (Miami Gardens, Miami)
Quarter-final Matches
July 4 – Match 57 – Winner Match 49 vs Winner Match 50 (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
July 4 – Match 58 – Winner Match 53 vs Winner Match 54 (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
July 5 – Match 59 – Winner Match 51 vs Winner Match 52 (Mercedes-Benz, Atlanta)
July 5 – Match 60 – Winner Match 55 vs Winner Match 56 (MetLife, New Jersey)
Semi-final Matches
July 8 – Match 61 – Winner Match 57 vs Winner Match 58 (MetLife, New Jersey)
July 9 – Match 62 – Winner Match 59 vs Winner Match 60 (MetLife, New Jersey)
Final
July 13 – Match 63 – Winner Match 61 vs Winner Match 62 (MetLife, New Jersey)
Where Can I Watch The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
At present, neither the BBC or ITV or any other terrestrial TV Channels in the UK have opted to buy a rights package to show matches from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup live.
As such, DAZN, who hold the global rights to TV coverage for the tournament, is the only place where you can watch the games live in the UK via its live streaming service on the website.
DAZN has promised that all matches will be free-to-air, meaning no payment or subscription plan is required to watch the action via DAZN or any of the channels which carries the live feed of the matches.
How often will the FIFA Club World Cup be contested?
The FIFA Club World Cup is a quadrennial tournament which means it will be played once every four years in the summer before the FIFA World Cup. The first tournament will be in 2025, so the next one will take place in 2029.
Does this tournament replace the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?
No. This new tournament has inherited the name of the FIFA Club World Cup from the tournament that formerly bore the name that was played in December each year. That tournament has now been renamed to the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and will still be played every year in December involving the six continental cup winners of the previous season.
How Do European Teams Qualify For The FIFA Club World Cup?
Twelve European Teams were allocated a place at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as follows:
2021 Champions League Winners – Chelsea
2022 & 2024 Champions League Winners – Real Madrid
2023 Champions League Winners – Manchester City
The remaining nine teams were based on performances in the Champions League over the four-year period 2020/21 to 2023/24 and were allocated as follows:
4th Best – Bayern Munich
5th Best – Paris St Germain
6th Best – Borussia Dortmund
7th Best – Inter Milan
8th Best – FC Porto
9th Best – Atletico Madrid
10th Best – Benfica
11th Best – Juventus
12th Best – Red Bull Salzburg
The same qualifying process will apply for the 2029 tournament and beyond unless FIFA decide to change the qualifying criteria at some point in the future.
What is the prize money on offer for the FIFA Club World Cup?
A total of $1 billion in prize money is on offer for the FIFA Club World Cup. $525 million is set aside to pay the 32 teams for participating, with the remaining $475 million allocated for performance-related payments based on each team’s progress in the tournament.
Who Are Some of the Star Players Who Will Be Playing At The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
Barring injury, fans can expect to see the following players in action at the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025.
Inter Miami – Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets
Manchester City – Erling Haaland, Rodri, Phil Foden, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Josep Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Mateo Kovacic,
Chelsea – Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Moises Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Marc Cucurella
Real Madrid – Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Endrick, Arda Guler, Francisco Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Aurielen Tchouameni
Inter Milan – Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, Marcus Thuram, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Benjamin Pavard, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco
Atletico Madrid – Antonio Griezmann, Jon Gimenez, Rodrigo De Paul, Jan Oblak, Conor Gallagher, Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth, Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Robin Le Normand
C.F.Monterrey – Carlos Salcedo, Victor Guzman, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Canales, Oliver Torres, Esteban Andrada
Wydad AC – Arthur, Mohamed Rayhi, Samuel Obeng, Zakaria Nassik, Jamal Harkass
Al Hilal FC – Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marcos Leonardo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari, Matias Britos
Pachuca – Carlos Moreno, Bryan Gonzalez, Elias Montiel, Oussama Idrissi, John Kennedy, Salomon Rondon
Juventus – Bremer, Lloyd Kelly, Andrea Cambiaso, Manuel Locatelli, Kephren Thuram, Douglas Luiz, Teun Koopmeiners, Francisco Conceicao, Tim Weah, Randal Kolo Muani, Dusan Vlahovic
Al Ain – Fabio Cardoso, Matias Segovia, Kaku, Erik, Soufian Rahimi, Mateo Sanabria
#ADBonus Referrer Code is an affiliate of the brands we promote throughout this site. While we strive to maintain accuracy throughout our content, we do receive compensation for this promotion.
