For the first time since its modern establishment, this prestigious tournament has been transformed from an annual seven-team competition into a massive 32-team spectacle held every four years.
As the football world prepares for this groundbreaking event, understanding its new format, participating teams, and global significance becomes essential for every football enthusiast.
Tournament Overview and Historical Context
The tournament is scheduled to be played in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025, representing a significant departure from its traditional December scheduling.
It is planned to be the first under an expanded format with 32 teams, including the winners of the four previous continental championships.
As early as late 2016, FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested expanding the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and rescheduling it to June/July to be more balanced and attractive to broadcasters and sponsors.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed these plans, originally intended for China in 2021.
Current Champions and Legacy
Manchester City is the defending champion, having won its first title in the last tournament under the old format in 2023.
Manchester City added the Club World Cup to their trophy collection in 2023 as Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden helped them breeze to a 4-0 final win over Fluminense. This victory marked the culmination of Manchester City's historic treble-winning season.
The legacy of previous Club World Cup winners demonstrates the tournament's growing prestige. Messi has won the Club World Cup on three occasions - 2009, 2011, 2015, all with Barcelona, highlighting the tournament's appeal to world-class players and elite clubs.
Tournament Format and Structure
The 2025 edition adopts a format similar to the FIFA World Cup. The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams with the top two teams in each group qualifying to the knockout stage.
The top two teams in each group qualified to the knockout stage. The last-16 stage - the first single knockout round - then moves to the quarter-final, semi-final and then final. There is no third-placed play-off between the two losing semi-final teams.
The format will be the same as that used in the FIFA World Cup between 1998 and 2022, with the exception of a third-place play-off. This structure ensures maximum competitive balance while maintaining the knockout drama that makes tournament football compelling.
Group Stage Composition
Group stage: eight groups of four teams per group playing in a single-game round-robin format. Each group consists of teams from different confederations, ensuring global representation and diverse playing styles within each group.
Draw Process and Seeding
The draw for the 2025 Club World Cup took place on December 5, 2024. The draw was conducted using a seeding system based on FIFA's club ranking system and continental coefficients.
FIFA compiled the draw pots as follows, with teams ranked within each confederation based on FIFA's club ranking system: Pot 1: The four top-ranked teams from both UEFA and CONMEBOL. This seeding system ensures competitive balance across all groups while maintaining geographical diversity.
Participating Teams and Qualification
The 2025 Club World Cup features the strongest field in the tournament's history. Europe has 12 clubs in the 32-team tournament and the spaces are allocated based on performances in the Champions League over four seasons from 2020/21 up to and including this season.
European Representatives
For the 2025 competition, the winners of the Champions League over the last three seasons - Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City - will be joined by the best-performing sides in the tournament in the same period, with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan qualifying through the ranking route.
The 12 European clubs represent the cream of continental competition. These teams qualified through various pathways, including Champions League victories and coefficient rankings based on European performance over multiple seasons.
South American Powerhouses
CONMEBOL contributes six teams to the tournament, including traditional giants and emerging forces from across South America. These clubs have qualified through Copa Libertadores success and continental ranking systems.
Global Representation
On February 14, 2023, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation for the 2025 tournament based on a "set of objective metrics and criteria". The allocation ensures representation from all continental confederations:
- UEFA (Europe): 12 teams
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 teams
- AFC (Asia): 4 teams
- CAF (Africa): 4 teams
- CONCACAF (North/Central America): 4 teams
- OFC (Oceania): 1 team
- Host nation: 1 team
MLS Participation
Two (2) Major League Soccer teams will feature. Seattle Sounders FC qualified via their historic 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup title, while 2024 Supporters' Shield champions Inter Miami CF received the host country slot.
The inclusion of Inter Miami has generated significant interest, particularly due to Lionel Messi's presence. Messi's Inter Miami will take on Egyptian side Al Ahly at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in the opening match.
Venues and Host Cities
On September 28, 2024, FIFA announced the selection of twelve venues in eleven cities for the tournament. The tournament will span the United States, utilizing state-of-the-art facilities:
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tennessee), Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle), Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which will host the opening match involving Inter Miami, while MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will host the final.
Geographical Distribution
In January 2024, it was reported that the tournament would mainly take place on the East Coast to be closer to European broadcasters and viewers while also avoiding conflicts with the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This strategic positioning optimizes broadcasting schedules and reduces travel fatigue for participating teams.
Prize Money and Financial Structure
The 2025 Club World Cup represents the most lucrative club competition in terms of prize money and solidarity payments. The winners of the Club World Cup will receive up to $125m (£97m) from FIFA.
Prize money of £774m ($1bn) is to be shared between the 32 clubs - with a $525m (£406m) participation fee shared based on sporting and commercial criteria, and $475m (£368m) shared based on sporting performance.
Record-Breaking Prize Pool
In 2023, the prize money for the Club World Cup was a modest $16 million. However, for the 2025 edition, this amount has soared to a staggering $1 billion, making the tournament one of the most lucrative in world soccer.
The financial structure incentivizes participation while rewarding performance. The prize money will be divided into two categories: a participation pool worth $525 million and a sporting performance pool totaling $425 million.
FIFA's Financial Commitment
"Not only that, but FIFA will neither retain any funding for this tournament, as all revenues will be distributed to club football, nor will it touch FIFA's reserves, which are set aside for global football development through the 211 FIFA Member Associations".
FIFA are not keeping any revenue and it expects to share another $250m (£200m) with clubs across the world as solidarity payments. This unprecedented solidarity investment demonstrates FIFA's commitment to global football development.
Technical and Organizational Details
Official Match Ball
On January 31, 2025, the official match ball was revealed by Adidas. The design features jagged-edged block patterns and deconstructed stars and stripes in red, white, and blue, the colors of the flag of the United States.
Scheduling Considerations
The schedule was created taking into account factors such as "sporting and player-centric criteria, local and traveling fans and global broadcast considerations". These considerations ensure optimal viewing experiences across global time zones while minimizing travel fatigue for teams.
Global Impact and Legacy
The 2025 Club World Cup represents more than a tournament expansion; it symbolizes FIFA's vision for global club football.
The increased prize money, solidarity payments, and worldwide representation create opportunities for clubs from developing football nations to compete with traditional powerhouses.
Development Investment
"This solidarity will undoubtedly provide a significant boost in our ongoing efforts in making football truly global". The tournament's financial structure supports football development beyond the 32 participating clubs.
Cultural Exchange
The tournament format facilitates cultural and tactical exchanges between clubs from different continents. These interactions often influence playing styles and club development strategies long after the tournament concludes.
Stars and Storylines
Messi's Continued Excellence
Messi is set to join the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in the States. Messi's participation with Inter Miami adds significant star power and global interest to the tournament.
Missing Stars
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss out, with Al Hilal the only Saudi Arabian side to qualify. The absence of certain superstars creates opportunities for other players to shine on the global stage.
Conclusion
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup represents a watershed moment in global club football. The competition's impact extends beyond the month-long tournament period.
By expanding from seven to 32 teams, introducing record prize money, and creating unprecedented global representation, FIFA has transformed a niche tournament into a premier sporting spectacle.
Its financial structure supports global football development, while its format creates competitive opportunities previously unavailable to clubs outside traditional football powers.
As Manchester City defends their title against the world's best clubs, the 2025 Club World Cup promises to establish new standards for international club competition while celebrating football's truly global nature.