An eventful 12 months in North American soccer kicks off this weekend, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup kicking off when Al Hilal and Inter Miami face off on Saturday, June 14.
This edition FIFA Club World Cup will look extremely different from the 20 editions that preceded it. The competition historically had just eight participants. For the first time ever, the tournament has been expanded to include 32 teams in a typical World Cup-style format.
What is the Club World Cup?
Starting in 2000, the Club World Cup combined the champions of each continent in one tournament. The competition was dominated by European teams and didn't have the biggest commercial success. Those, amongst other reasons, pushed FIFA towards the new format akin to the actual World Cup.
The revamped tournament has faced some controversy mainly related to fixture congestion and player fatigue. Others have accused the tournament of being a "cash grab," and not necessarily based on sporting merit.
Jeremiah Oshan
Most criticism has come from European clubs and their fans. As some of the biggest sporting entities in the world, they view this tournament as a chore more than anything, and the elite players at this level are increasingly overworked, playing upwards of 50 matches in a single season. Clubs outside of Europe are taking this competition seriously, as this puts them in a spotlight they haven't reached before. For many players, this tournament represents the only opportunity they'll get to play against the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris St. Germain in their career.
What's the format?
The Club World Cup will be using the classic 32-team competition format, starting with eight groups of four teams each. Each team will play three games in the group stage, earning three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will qualify to the Round of 16.
For the Round of 16 on through the final, single elimination will take place, with 30 minutes of extra time and penalty shootouts utilized to determine the winner should a draw occur in regulation time.
How did teams qualify?
Each confederation has been given a set number of slots based on its strength. UEFA (Europe) leads the way with 12 slots, while CONMEBOL (South America) has six. Concacaf (North and Central America), AFC (Asia) and CAF (Africa) each have four slots, OFC (Oceania) has one. The final slot is given to the tournament's host, the United States for this edition. Inter Miami were selected (somewhat controversially) as the host based on their 2024 Supporters' Shield win.
Continental champions across the world – UEFA Champions League, CONCACAF Champions Cup, etc. – from the last four years have all qualified automatically. The rest of the slots were filled based on performance in said continental competitions in the last four years.
Each country is allowed a maximum of two slots, however, continental champions have a right to play regardless. That's why there are four Brazilian clubs participating and only two English clubs.
What are the teams?
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
Palmeiras  |
Paris Saint-Germain  |
Bayern Munich  |
Flamengo |
Porto  |
Atlético Madrid  |
Benfica |
Chelsea  |
Al Ahly  |
Botafogo |
Boca Juniors  |
ES Tunis  |
Inter Miami  |
Seattle Sounders |
Auckland City  |
LAFC |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
River Plate |
Fluminense |
Manchester City |
Real Madrid |
Inter Milan  |
Borussia Dortmund |
Juventus |
Al-Hilal  |
Monterrey  |
Ulsan HD FC  |
Wydad AC  |
Pachuca |
Urawa Red Diamonds  |
Mamelodi Sundowns  |
Al Ain  |
FC Salzburg  |
Where is the Club World Cup being played?
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
- MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
- Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
- Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
- TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, OH)
- Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
- Geodis Park (Nashville, TN)
- Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL)
- Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, FL)
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
- Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
How many games will Nashville host?
Nashville will host three group stage games at Geodis Park:
- Friday, June 20: Los Angeles FC 🇺🇸 vs Espérance de Tunise 🇹🇳
- Sunday, June 22: Al Hilal 🇸🇦 vs Pachuca 🇲🇽
- Tuesday, June 24: Auckland City 🇳🇿 vs Boca Juniors 🇦🇷
In addition to the three matches, Nashville SC's training facility will be used as a base camp by Al Hilal. Baylor School in Chattanooga will be used as a training camp for Auckland City FC.
Key Information
- The tournament will be broadcasted for free around the world on DAZN. TNT, TBS and truTV will televise 24 of the tournament’s matches domestically
- Coverage will be carried out by some familiar names as well as new ones, including Nashville SC head coach BJ Callaghan. Full list
- Opening match: Saturday, June 14 - Al Ahly 🇪🇬 vs. Inter Miami 🇺🇸 - Hard Rock Stadium
- Final: Sunday, July 13 - MetLife Stadium
Odds to win the tournament
- Real Madrid 🇪🇸 +400
- Manchester City 🏴 +500
- Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷 +500
- Bayern Munich 🇩🇪 +700
- Chelsea 🏴 +1000
- Atletico Madrid 🇪🇸 +1400
- Inter Milan 🇮🇹 +1400
- Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪 +2500
- Juventus 🇮🇹 +2500
- Flamengo 🇧🇷 +3300
- Palmeiras 🇧🇷 +3300
- Benfica 🇵🇹 +4000
- Boca Juniors 🇦🇷 +4000
- FC Porto 🇵🇹 +4000
- River Plate 🇦🇷 +4000
- Botafogo 🇧🇷 +5000
- Fluminese 🇧🇷 +5000
- Al Hilal 🇸🇦 + 6600
- Inter Miami 🇺🇸 +6600
- Red Bull Salzburg 🇦🇹 +7000
- Los Angeles FC 🇺🇸 +8000
- Seattle Sounders 🇺🇸 +10000
- Al Ahly 🇪🇬 +12500
- Pachuca 🇲🇽 +15000
- Al Ain 🇦🇪 +20000
- Urawa Red Diamonds 🇯🇵 +25000
- Espérance de Tunis 🇹🇳 +50000
- Mamelodi Sundowns 🇿🇦 +50000
- Wydad AC 🇲🇦 +50000
- Aukland City 🇳🇿 +125000
