FIFA Club World Cup Preview: Format, Draw, Qualified Teams, Schedule and More
The FIFA Club World Cup is set for a major overhaul, marking a significant departure from its previous iterations. FIFA has ensured global attention by placing Lionel Messi at the heart of this revamped competition.
In its former structure, the Club World Cup featured just seven clubs—representing the six FIFA confederations—contesting seven matches over 11 days in a single host nation. However, this has now transformed into a grander affair. The 2025 edition will bring together 32 teams in the United States, battling across 63 matches within 29 days to crown the greatest club side of the past four seasons.
Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the updated tournament.
What Is the New Club World Cup Format?
The revised Club World Cup format closely resembles that of the traditional FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The 32 participating clubs will be sorted into eight groups of four, with each team playing one group-stage match against every other team in their group.
The top two teams from each group—both the winner and runner-up—will progress to the knockout stage. The subsequent rounds will proceed as a single-elimination tournament: round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and ultimately the final. Matches that end in a draw will move into extra time and, if necessary, be decided by penalty shootouts.
Key Dates and Fixtures
The tournament kicks off with Al Ahly taking on Inter Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday, 14 June.
The final showdown will take place at the iconic MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, 13 July.
A full fixture list can be viewed by clicking here.
How Did Clubs Qualify?
Teams secured their place through one of two routes:
- By Winning a Continental Title: Clubs that won a continental competition—such as the UEFA Champions League or the CONMEBOL Libertadores—within the last four seasons automatically qualified. If a team won more than once (e.g., Real Madrid), the additional slot(s) passed to the next best eligible team from the second route.
- Performance Rankings: Clubs with high performance rankings in their respective continental tournaments over the past four years could also qualify.
Each confederation received a specific number of slots based on overall strength. UEFA has the highest allocation with 12 teams, followed by CONMEBOL with six. Africa, Asia, and Concacaf have four representatives each, while Oceania has one spot.
Who Has Qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup?
While countries are generally limited to a maximum of two representatives, an exception has been made for Brazil. Owing to their dominance in the South American football scene, Brazilian clubs won all four qualifying editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores since 2020, with each title secured by a different team. Consequently, Brazil will send four clubs instead of the usual two.
The two-club limit per country also meant that once that quota was met, additional teams—even those ranking highly—could not qualify. This rule has excluded clubs such as Liverpool, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and AC Milan.
To illustrate, Chelsea and Manchester City gained entry as past Champions League winners. Although Liverpool were ranked eighth overall, their inclusion was blocked as the Premier League had already reached its quota. As a result, Benfica (13th), Juventus (14th), and RB Salzburg (18th) benefited due to consistent performances across the four-year period.
Barcelona also missed out because their Champions League results were slightly worse than Atlético Madrid’s, who secured a ranking-based slot.
A total of 31 clubs have officially secured their places for the 2025 edition based on merit.
What Happened to León?
Mexican club León earned their place by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions League. However, both León and Pachuca belong to the same ownership group—Grupo Pachuca—which contravenes FIFA’s rule that bars two clubs under the same ownership from participating in the Club World Cup.
León were initially included in December’s tournament draw and assigned to Group D, along with Chelsea, Espérance de Tunis, and Flamengo.
Costa Rican outfit Liga Deportiva Alajuelense vocally objected to León’s participation and lodged an official complaint. It wasn’t until March that FIFA’s appeals committee ruled only one Grupo Pachuca club could enter the competition. León were removed based on their lower ranking within Concacaf over the past four seasons. Their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was rejected on 6 May.
To fill the vacated slot, FIFA organised a play-off between 2023 Concacaf Champions League runners-up LAFC and the top-ranked team from the four-year performance period, Club América.
This decisive match was held at LAFC’s BMO Stadium on Saturday, 31 May. LAFC came from behind to claim a 2-1 win after extra time, securing their place in the tournament.
Inter Miami and Messi’s Inclusion Explained
The 32nd and final spot in the Club World Cup is reserved for a team from the host nation. On 18 October, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that Inter Miami CF had been invited to participate. This move ensures that Lionel Messi—arguably the sport’s greatest-ever player—will feature in the tournament’s inaugural edition, health permitting.
This decision has sparked controversy, as Inter Miami did not win the MLS Cup. Instead, they secured the Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Inter Miami also set a new MLS record for most points in a season (74). However, the recognised MLS champions are those who win the MLS Cup, the end-of-season playoff competition. Inter Miami were eliminated in the first round by Atlanta United.
Therefore, when LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls meet in the MLS Cup final, it will not influence who represents the United States at the Club World Cup.
Nevertheless, Inter Miami and Messi will open the competition against Al Ahly at their home ground in Miami on 14 June. Messi is likely to feature—and could even take the tournament’s first kickoff.
Group Stage Draw
Here is what the groups look like:
Host Cities for the 2025 Club World Cup
The tournament will span multiple U.S. cities, with matches taking place at the following venues:
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
- MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford)
- Lumen Field (Seattle)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
- Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles)
- GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
- Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando)
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
What Does the New Trophy Look Like?
According to FIFA, the updated trophy is “a celebration of hope, excellence and pride, embodying the journey of every club, player and fan.”
It features a 24-carat gold-plated finish, with intricate laser engravings displaying football-related imagery and text. This includes a world map and the names of all 211 FIFA Member Associations and the six confederations, reflecting the sport’s global and cultural diversity.
The central disc of the trophy showcases football icons, such as stadium symbols and equipment, alongside a world map. Additionally, engravings appear in 13 languages and Braille to underline the inclusive nature of the competition. Space has been allocated to engrave the emblems of future winners, covering 24 editions.
Remarkably, the trophy can be transformed from a shield into a dynamic orbital structure, enhancing its visual presence.
Inscribed on the trophy is the statement: “To those who hold this trophy, history belongs to you! You are witness to a moment in time that represents the pinnacle of club football, bestowed upon few but celebrated by many.”
Will the Club World Cup Be an Annual Event?
The reimagined Club World Cup will take place every four years. It also serves as a preparatory event for the FIFA World Cup, hence its staging in the United States a year ahead of the 2026 tournament.
What Happened to the December Tournament?
The summer Club World Cup now bears the original tournament’s name. However, the December competition continues under a new banner: the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Rather than a week-long event in a single nation, this version unfolded over several months. Early rounds granted home advantage, while the final stages were held in Qatar. The 2024 final took place in Lusail on 18 December, where Real Madrid defeated Pachuca 3-0 to be crowned champions.
Will the Tournament Be Competitive?
This remains a crucial concern. The original Club World Cup was largely dominated by European clubs (16 titles) and South American teams (4) in its 20 editions.
Of the 40 finalists, only six clubs from outside Europe and South America—TP Mazembe (DR Congo, 2010), Raja Casablanca (Morocco, 2013), Kashima Antlers (Japan, 2016), Al-Ain (UAE, 2018), UANL (Mexico, 2020), and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia, 2022)—managed to reach the final without securing the title.
Given each group will feature at least two teams from Europe or South America, concerns persist about the potential for unbalanced fixtures.
Concerns Over Player Burnout
Player welfare is a pressing issue. The growing intensity of football’s calendar has prompted legal action from players’ unions.
Maheta Molango, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), told ESPN that leading players like Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden “need to be protected” from excessive workloads. He warned that failing to manage player fatigue could “come at a cost.”
FIFPRO and the PFA are currently pursuing legal action against FIFA over these scheduling concerns. Manchester City midfielder Rodri even suggested that players are “close” to going on strike, just days before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
For elite players in European football, the calendar is now more packed than ever before.
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