FIFA Club World Cup Explained

Shimmering lights, pulsating stadiums and 32 of the best clubs battling to claim the newest, shiniest trinket in world football. I am of course describing the new version of the FIFA Club World Cup, an event that has been discussed in the media for months in anticipation of its inaugural edition on the 15^th of June 2025.  Even the ever-eccentric leader of the free world, Donald Trump was briefed about the competition by FIFA president Gianluigi Infantino. And yet, despite all the coverage, I realized that I knew very little about this tournament before researching for this article. So, this is for those confused soccer fans out there, who, —like me—are still a little oblivious to the finer details of the new club world cup. In this article I’ll answer all your burning questions, tackling everything from the schedule and partaking teams to the format and qualification process.

What is it?

The new edition of the FIFA Club World Cup is a reimaging of the existing competition of the same name. The tournament takes place every 4 years in a single host country—this time being in the U.S—and features 32 club teams from across the world’s top leagues competing in a group-knockout style format. The winner of the competition takes home the enigmatic new cylindrical trophy and $100 million in tournament prize money. Those are the stakes, but I’m sure you’re asking yourself: why change the format?

Why the New Format?

According to FIFA president Gianluigi Infantino one of the driving motivations for the change in format is inclusivity. As he puts it:

“We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world. … It’s really to globalize football, to make it truly, truly global.” Infantino interview: Club World Cup marks 'new era' for soccer - Soccer America

This global flavor really comes across when you see the sheer scope of the tournament and the plan to feature 32 teams. By comparison the old format only included 7 teams, one from each major continent plus another slot for the host nation. To visualize things, I’ve made a table that breaks down the differences between the old and new Club World Cup formats:

Going down a purely speculative road, I think the change in format is partly about trying to emulate the mystique of the World Cup. Instead of being an annual proceeding the new club world cup is set to take place every 4 years. In my view this move was done in a bid to recapture the ‘lightning in a bottle’ success of the real-World Cup. With 1.5 billion people tuning in to watch the final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup it’s undeniably the most glamorous soccer competition in the world and one of the most captivating events on TV.

To me, part of that magic comes from the 4-year time-gap between each iteration. The fact that the World Cup doesn’t come along every year and is so rare heightens its status as an “unmissable” event. So, if you take that winning formula and apply it to the Club World Cup there’s a chance you can turn that stale and dying tournament into a high-passion thrill-ride. But that’s just a theory borne from the crummy fingers of a pale sportswriter, so take it with a shovel-full of salt.  

Who is Playing?

Okay so now to answer the question we’ve all been asking. They can change the format all they want, add fireworks for every goal and start playing the matches in space and still the only question we’ll be asking is “who’s playing?”. Because in the end a soccer tournament is really only as good as the teams involved.

Thankfully, this competition features some real soccer heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Manchester City as well as a welcome mix of clubs you might not be used to seeing on the world’s stage like South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns or Australia’s Auckland City.

It’s this diversity that I think will make or break the appeal of the tournament. If the “smaller” teams aren’t competitive and don’t provide the odd upset here and there, then I think people might just see this as a B-tier competition. However, if the established European giants dominate the knockout rounds, then the competition won’t offer anything different from what we’re already used to watching every week in the UEFFA Champions League. So that’s the balancing act that this tournament is facing. All that said, here’s a complete list of the 32 teams participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup by region:

·       AFC (Asia): Al-Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Ulsan Hyundai

·       CAF (Africa): Al Ahly, Wydad AC, Espérance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns

·       CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean): Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Pachuca, LAFC

·       CONMEBOL (South America): Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, Boca Juniors

·       OFC (Oceania): Auckland City

·       UEFA (Europe): Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg

·       USA (Host): Inter Miami CF

When and Where?

The revamped Club World Cup kicks off on Saturday, 14 June 2025 and runs through to the grand finale on Sunday, 13 July 2025, when the champion will be crowned at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey—just a stone’s throw from New York City.

Matches will be staged across 12 iconic U.S. venues—from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and Lumen Field in Seattle—offering fans from coast to coast a front‑row seat to this month‑long football fiesta

How it Works?

Think of it as the FIFA World Cup for clubs:

1. Group Stage (15 June–25 June)
• 32 teams are split into eight groups of four.
• Each group plays a single‑match round‑robin (each team plays three games).
• The top two from each group advance.
2. Knockout Stage (27 June–13 July)
• Round of 16: 16 group‑stage survivors meet in single‑elimination ties.
• Quarter‑finals & Semi‑finals: Winner’s progress, one match each.
• Final (13 July): The two semi‑final victors battle for the trophy—no third‑place play‑off.

As FIFA Council summed it up, the format “follows the same format as the FIFA World Cup 2022™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, with the exception that there will be no play‑off for third place”

How Teams Qualify?

According to the official FIFA website they wanted “the highest quality possible based on sporting criteria over the most recent four seasons,” so they approved a two‑pathway system:

“With the objective of ensuring the highest quality possible based on sporting criteria over the most recent four seasons… the following methodology for the new standard ranking was approved: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 3 points for progress to each stage of the competition…” 

• Champions Pathway: Winners of each confederation’s premier club competition (e.g., UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores) earn automatic slots.
• Ranking Pathway: Additional slots are awarded to the best‑ranked clubs—based on their continental performance over four seasons—until each region’s quota is met.
• Host Slot: One place is reserved for a club from the United States (Inter Miami CF) inside.fifa.com.

Predictions

If I’m being honest, I see the FIFA Club World Cup playing out in a predictable manner. That is to say the European giants like Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester City floating to the top and separating themselves from their international competitors. The reason I think this, is simple: they have the best players.

European soccer and especially the Champions League is often coveted as the holy grail of club soccer. The best players from other regions tend to leave their local leagues in pursuit of European glory and the money that comes with it. And it’s this magnetism that allows the big European clubs to assemble star-studded squads oozing with talent. Squads that I predict will give them the edge in this debut edition of the new FIFA Club World Cup.

If I had to pick a frontrunner or favorite to take home the cup, I would be looking at Real Madrid. I think they’ll be looking to prove a point after a lackluster season on home soil which saw them fail to win a major trophy for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign. That burning desire to salvage the season accompanied with the addition of the exciting managerial prospect that is Xabi Alonso, just makes Real Madrid an interesting contender in my eyes.

As far as what I WANT to happen well that’s easy, I want to see a final GOAT showdown between Leo Messi’s Inter Miami and Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. This is the big one, the ticket seller, soccer’s very own Smackdown vs Raw. As you can imagine as a soccer fan every time the opportunity arises for these two titans of the game to face off, my mouth starts to salivate. I realize we’ve seen it a billion times before, but hey, it’s been a while, and if not now than when? Just let me get one more FIFA, I’ll die a happy man.