For most European football fans, the FIFA Club World Cup has been at best an almost quaint mid-season distraction and at worst a disruptive trip to the other side of the world that they could do without.
But all this is set to change as FIFA gear up for the new, relaunched version of the tournament, which they hope will become a highlight of the footballing calendar.
So how will it work, who will be involved, when and where will it be played and how can you get tickets? FourFourTwo has everything you need to know about the competition - and make sure you bookmark this page as we'll be updating it regularly with the latest news and up-to-date information.
Format
What is the new format for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?
The Club World Cup is being completely revamped for the 2025 edition. Gone is the previous format which saw the six reigning continental champions compete in a knockout tournament and its place is an expanded 32-team competition that will include a knock-out and group stage.
The teams will be put into eight groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the knockout stage, which will consist of straight knockout matches - much like the format the World Cup has used over the past two decades.
Hosts
Where will the 2025 Club World Cup take place?
The 2025 edition of the tournament will be taking place in the United States, with FIFA selecting the country as a prelude to the 2026 World Cup, which will be help in the USA, plus Canada and Mexico.
Host cities have not been decided, but reports in January 2024 claimed that the tournament will take place on the east coast of the USA, in order to align better with European broadcasters and avoid clashes with the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will take place on the West Coast that summer.
Dates and fixtures
What are the dates for the 2025 Club World Cup?
The tournament will kick-off on June 15, 2025, with the final being played on July 13, 2025.
Qualification
How did teams qualify for the tournament?
There will be 32 teams competing in the tournament, distributed between the international confederations.
Europe will have 12 teams, South America has six, Africa, Asia and the Concacaf region will have four teams each, while Oceania and the host country have one each.
Entrants
Which teams have qualified?
The 32 places have now been confirmed, with Botafogo the final qualifiers after winning the 2024 Copa Libertadores - the following teams will take part:
Africa: Al Ahly, Wydad, Es Tunus, Mamelodi Sundowns
Asia: Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Ulsan HD FC
Europe: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, FC Salzburg
Concacaf: Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Club Leon, Pachuca,
Oceania: Auckland City
South America: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Botafogo
Host: Inter Miami
How to watch
What are the groups and fixtures?
The draw was held on December 5 2024, with the 32 sides drawn into four seeded pots and then allocated into eight groups of four teams a piece (one from each pot). It came out as follows:
- Group A: Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Portugal), Al Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (USA)
- Group B: PSG (France), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), Seattle Sounders (USA)
- Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Auckland City (New Zealand), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Benfica (Portugal)
- Group D: Flamengo (Brazil), Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), Leon (Mexico)
- Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter (Italy)
- Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan HD (South Korea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
- Group G: Manchester City (England), Wydad AC (Morocco), Al Ain (UAE), Juventus (Italiy)
- Group H: Real Madrid (Spain), Al Hilial (Saudi Arabia), Pachuca (Mexico), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
Fixtures:
Saturday, June 14
Group A: Al Ahly FC v Inter Miami CF - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Sunday, June 15
Group C: Bayern Munich v Auckland City FC - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain v Atletico Madrid - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Group A: Palmeiras v Porto - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Group B: Botafogo v Seattle Sounders - Lumen Field, Seattle
Monday, June 16
Group D: Chelsea FC v Club Leon - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta,
Group C: Boca Juniors v Benfica - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Group D: Flamengo v Esperance Sportive de Tunis - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Tuesday, June 17
Group F: Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Group E: River Plate v Urawa Red Diamonds - Lumen Field, Seattle,
Group F: Ulsan HD v Mamelodi Sundowns - Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando
Group E: Monterrey v Internazionale - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles,
Wednesday, June 18
Group G: Manchester City v Wydad AC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Group H: Real Madrid v Al Hilal - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Group H: Pachuca v FC Salzburg - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Group G: Al Ain FC v Juventus - Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Thursday, June 19
Group A: Palmeiras v Al Ahly - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Group A: Inter Miami v Porto - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Group B: Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid - Lumen Field, Seattle
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain v Botafogo - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Friday, 20 June
Group C: SL Benfica v Auckland City - Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando
Group D: Flamengo v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Group D: Club Leon v Esperance Sportive de Tunis - GEODIS Park, Nashville,
Group C: Bayern Munich v Boca Juniors - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Saturday, 21 June
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns v Borussia Dortmund - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Group E: Internazionale v Urawa Red Diamonds - Lumen Field, Seattle
Group F: Fluminense v Ulsan HD - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Group E: River Plate v Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Sunday, 22 June
Group G: Juventus v Wydad AC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Group H: Real Madrid v CF Pachuca - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Group H: FC Salzburg v Al Hilal - Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Group G: Manchester City v Al Ain - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Monday, 23 June
Group B: Seattle Sounders v Paris Saint-Germain - Lumen Field, Seattle
Group B: Atletico Madrid v Botafogo - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Group A: Inter Miami v Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Group A: Porto v Al Ahly - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Tuesday, 24 June
Group C: Auckland City v Boca Juniors - GEODIS Park, Nashville
Group C: Benfica v Bayern Munich - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Group D: Club Leon v Flamengo - Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Group D: Esperance Sportive de Tunis v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Wednesday, 25 June
Group F: Borussia Dortmund v Ulsan HD - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns v Fluminense - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Group E: Internazionale v River Plate - Lumen Field, Seattle
Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds v Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Thursday, 26 June
Group G: Juventus v Manchester City - Camping World Stadium, Orlando,
Group G: Wydad AC v Al Ain - Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Group H: Al Hilal v CF Pachuca - GEODIS Park, Nashville
Group H: FC Salzburg v Real Madrid - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
All group games will be played between Saturday June 14 and Thursday June 26 2025.
The schedule for the knockout games is as follows:
- Round of 16: Saturday June 28-Tuesday July 1
- Quarter-finals: Friday July 4 and Saturday July 5
- Semi-finals: Tuesday July 8 and Wednesday July 9
- Final: Sunday July 13
How to watch the tournament
After an initial struggle to land a deal, FIFA announced on December 4, days before the draw, that they have agreed a broadcast deal with DAZN.
DAZN will show all 63 matches, from the group stage right through to the final in New York on July 13.
Every match will be live-streamed and free to view on on its platforms, while there is also potential for DAZN to sublicense rights to local free-to-air broadcasters. The agreement is thought to be worth £829m.
Tickets
How do you get tickets for the tournament?
No ticket details have been issued yet, but fans are able to register their interest on the FIFA website here.
