- The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will feature an expanded 32-team format, taking place in the United States from June 15 to July 13
- Top clubs from Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, CONCACAF, and Oceania will compete across 12 U.S. venues, following a World Cup-style group and knockout format
- The tournament marks the largest global club competition, with Miami hosting the opener and New York/New Jersey staging the final at MetLife Stadium
The stage is set for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, an expanded tournament that will bring together 32 of the world’s top football clubs. With the draw scheduled in Miami on Wednesday, December 4, the excitement builds for what promises to be the largest global club competition in football history.
Here’s everything you need to know about the format, teams, and venues.
How Club World Cup started
The concept of determining the world’s best club team dates back over 60 years. The Intercontinental Cup, established in 1960, initially served as the club's de facto world championship.
The tournament pitted the champions of Europe against South America, with Real Madrid’s iconic team led by Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas defeating Uruguay’s Penarol in its inaugural edition.
FIFA took the reins in 2000, launching the first official Club World Cup, an eight-team tournament in Brazil. Corinthians claimed the trophy in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium. Recent editions have featured seven teams, but 2025 marks a massive expansion to a 32-team format.
How the tournament will be played
The Club World Cup will mirror the format of FIFA’s World Cup from 1998 to 2022. TheRadar has explained below how the tournament will be played.
Group stage: The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four, competing in a round-robin format.
Knockout phase: The top two teams from each group advance to the last 16, with single-elimination matches leading to the final.
No Third-Place Match: The competition concludes with the crowning of the champion.
Teams that qualified for Club World Cup
Europe (12 teams)
Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and RB Salzburg.
South America (6 teams)
Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, and Boca Juniors.
Africa (4 teams)
Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), ES Tunis (Tunisia), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).
Asia (4 teams)
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Al Ain (UAE), and Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea).
CONCACAF (4 teams)
Monterrey, Club Leon, Pachuca (Mexico), and Seattle Sounders (USA).
Oceania (1 team)
Auckland City (New Zealand).
Host Nation (1 slot)
Inter Miami (USA).
Venues and schedule
The tournament will run from June 15 to July 13, 2025, across 12 venues in the United States.
Opening match: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida.
Final match: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey/New York.
Other notable venues include Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena), and Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia).
The 2025 Club World Cup promises to be a landmark event in football, offering fans the chance to witness the best clubs battle it out for global supremacy on American soil.
Nigeria, Germany, 10 other countries to have been banned by FIFA and why
Previously, TheRadar reported that FIFA, the global body governing football, has sanctioned a range of countries for breaching its rules over the years.
The most prominent case today is Russia, whose exclusion stems from its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This sanction serves as a reminder that football isn’t immune to political realities. But there are several other countries with similar bans in FIFA's history.
