FIFA’s flagship new club competition takes place in the United States in June and July this year.
The revamped Club World Cup will pit 32 sides from around the globe against one another in a four-week tournament culminating in the final on July 13 at Metlife Stadium.
The build-up to the event has been fraught with issues around global interest, ticket sales and how FIFA will pay for its grand designs. Players have also expressed concern about the tournament adding to their workload during an increasingly hectic club scheduled.
FIFA, however, is confident that the Club World Cup can become an event to rival its traditional World Cup. President Gianni Infantino said the event would be “a big bang” in the history of the sport, saying: “We’re writing history here in North America. For the first time in history, the 32 best clubs in the world will compete in a tournament to determine finally who is the best club in the world.
“They will play for this incredible trophy which is, as you can see, very special, very new, unlike any other trophy in the world of sport. It represents the past, the present, the future. It represents a big bang, because this is exactly what it is, and we thought that we would have to have an iconic trophy for an iconic competition.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.
MORE: Club World Cup draw, full schedule | Prize money on offer | All-time tournament winners
What is the Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup is a soccer competition that pits 32 teams from across the world against one another to determine a club world champion.
The tournament used to be an annual event in which the champions of the six FIFA confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, UEFA), plus a host-nation representative, competed in a short knockout competition to win the Club World Cup trophy. However, FIFA decided to expand the format to make it a 32-team event that would take place once every four years and would be more in the mould of its international World Cup.
How does the Club World Cup format work?
In essence, the Club World Cup works as you might imagine: it’s basically the same format as the international World Cup.
There are 32 teams split into eight groups of four (this was done at a draw ceremony back in December last year). Each team plays the others in their group once. They get three points for a win, one point for a draw, and none for a defeat. At the end of those three matchdays, the top two teams in each group progress to the knockout phase.
From there, we’re into single-elimination territory. The Round of 16 matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and final are played over the usual 90 minutes; if the scores are tied after that, we go to 30 minutes of extra time. If the teams are still level, a penalty shootout will decide who goes through.
Unlike the World Cup for international teams, there is no third-place match for the losing semifinalists.
Where is the Club World Cup being played?
The 2025 tournament is being staged in the United States. The majority of games will take place in the east of the country, although there will also be some games in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Twelve venues will be used in total. The opener is at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami and the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, is the largest stadium in use.
Club World Cup stadiums
| Venue | City | Capacity |
| Audi Field | Washington DC | 20,000 |
| Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina | 75,000 |
| Camping World Stadium | Orlando, Florida | 65,000 |
| Geodis Park | Nashville, Tennessee | 30,000 |
| Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida | 65,000 |
| Inter & Co Stadium | Orlando, Florida | 25,000 |
| Lincoln Field | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 69,000 |
| Lumen Field | Seattle, Washington | 69,000 |
| Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | 75,000 |
| MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, New Jersey | 82,500 |
| Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | 42,959 |
| TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio | 26,000 |
Which teams are playing Club World Cup 2025?
In total, 32 teams from 20 different countries will compete at the 2025 Club World Cup.
The countries with most players represented at #FIFACWC 2025. 🌎 pic.twitter.com/ZD4UeSUoIZ
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 11, 2025
The below table details the teams involved and how they earned their places at the tournament.
| Team | Confederation | Country | Qualification |
| Al Hilal | AFC | Saudi Arabia | 2021 AFC Champions League winners |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | AFC | Japan | 2022 AFC Champions League winners |
| Al Ain | AFC | UAE | 2023/24 AFC Champions League winners |
| Ulsan HD | AFC | South Korea | AFC four-year ranking |
| Al Ahly | CAF | Egypt | 2020/21, 2022/23 & 2023/24 CAF Champions League winners |
| Wydad AC | CAF | Morocco | 2021/22 CAF Champions League winners |
| Esperance de Tunis | CAF | Tunisia | CAF four-year ranking |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | CAF | South Africa | CAF four-year ranking |
| Monterrey | CONCACAF | Mexico | 2021 CONCACAF Champions League winners |
| Seattle Sounders | CONCACAF | USA | 2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners |
| Los Angeles FC* | CONCACAF | USA | 2023 CONCACAF Champions League runners-up |
| Pachuca | CONCACAF | Mexico | 2023 CONCACAF Champions League winners |
| Palmeiras | CONMEBOL | Brazil | 2021 Copa Libertadores winners |
| Flamengo | CONMEBOL | Brazil | 2022 Copa Libertadores winners |
| Fluminense | CONMEBOL | Brazil | 2023 Copa Libertadores winners |
| Botafogo | CONMEBOL | Brazil | 2024 Copa Libertadores winners |
| River Plate | CONMEBOL | Argentina | CONMEBOL four-year ranking |
| Boca Juniors | CONMEBOL | Argentina | CONMEBOL four-year ranking |
| Auckland City | OFC | New Zealand | Best OFC Champions League winner of the four-year ranking period |
| Chelsea | UEFA | England | 2020/21 UEFA Champions League winners |
| Real Madrid | UEFA | Spain | 2021/22 & 2023/24 UEFA Champions League winners |
| Manchester City | UEFA | England | 2022/23 UEFA Champions League winners |
| Bayern Munich | UEFA | Germany | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Paris Saint-Germain | UEFA | France | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Inter Milan | UEFA | Italy | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Porto | UEFA | Portugal | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Benfica | UEFA | Portugal | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Borussia Dortmund | UEFA | Germany | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Juventus | UEFA | Italy | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Atletico Madrid | UEFA | Spain | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Red Bull Salzburg | UEFA | Austria | UEFA four-year coefficient rankings |
| Inter Miami | CONCACAF (host) | USA | 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners |
*LAFC beat Club America in a one-off game to determine Club Leon’s replacements
How did teams qualify for the Club World Cup?
FIFA chose the 32 teams based on their performances during a selection period of 2021-2024.
The winners of the respective continental club competitions (e.g. the UEFA Champions League in Europe, or the Copa Libertadores in South America) during that time frame were automatically granted a place. Others were chosen based on how they performed during that three-year time span. Inter Miami were selected as representatives of the host nation.
There were, however, some restrictions in place. You can read more about the specific selection criteria below.
MORE: How FIFA decided which teams would play at the Club World Cup in 2025
Is there prize money for the Club World Cup?
There is — and lots of it.
FIFA announced a total prize pot of $1 billion, making this by far the most lucrative competition in global soccer.
Exactly how much of that goes to respective teams depends on how they perform during the finals.
MORE: Breaking down how the prize money is distributed at the Club World Cup
Club World Cup schedule: When games are played in 2025
The competition begins on June 14, 2025. The first game sees host representatives Inter Miami face Egyptian side Al Ahly in Miami Gardens, Florida.
From there, the three group-stage matchdays will be completed over the course of 10 days, with the last of those games taking place on June 26.
The knockout phase begins with the Round of 16, played from June 28 through July 1. The quarterfinals are held on July 4 and July 5, with the semifinals on July 8 and July 9.
The final at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford is on July 13.
Can I still buy Club World Cup tickets?
FIFA is offering two ways to buy tickets: either as fans of the clubs involved, or through a “general public” option. As of June 12, there were still general public tickets available for the vast majority of group games, including the opener between Al Ahly and Inter Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on June 14.
Organisers have struggled to sell as many tickets as they had hoped, and the prices quoted through FIFA’s official link to Ticketmaster have been significantly reduced. On June 12, they were available for Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami for as low as $73.35.
Other third-party sites including Stub Hub can also offer tickets for games.
How can I watch the Club World Cup?
DAZN is the global broadcaster for the 2025 Club World Cup and will be showing games around the world without the need for a subscription.
WATCH: Club World Cup all live and all free on DAZN
