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Club World Cup 2025 - participating teams, venues, fixtures, and more

09 Feb, 13:35

The Club World Cup 2025 will have a new look following a series of changes to the competition. Unlike the old format, which was widely categorised as a knockout tournament, the Club World Cup hosted seven teams from six FIFA confederations every year; the new format will see 32 participants from around the world compete for the grand prize.

Below are some key details you need to know about the fast-approaching Club World Cup campaign.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: what teams participate

FIFA did not randomly select the 32 teams participating in the 2025 Club World Cup tournament. Every invited team merited its slot based on their performances in the Champions League in their respective continents over the last four campaigns between 2020 and 2024.

Europe has 12 allocations, three of which are given to the last three UEFA Champions League winners (Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester City). Selected teams from Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania receive 19 allocations, while the final slot goes to the host nation, Inter Miami, following their success in the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield.

List of qualified teams for 2025 Club World Cup

Europe

Oceania

Auckland City

South America

North America

Monterrey
Seattle Sounders
Pachuca
Inter Miami (host nation slot)
One slot is left (Club León’s slot will be allocated to another team after they were unable to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership).

Africa

Asia

Club World Cup: format and regulations

The Club World Cup format has similar rules to the World Cup, where all 32 teams are arranged in eight groups. The teams that finish in the top two places will advance to the round of 16, where the winners of each draw advance further to the quarter-final and the semi-final. The last two teams will meet in the final for the grand prize; however, unlike the World Cup, the Club World Cup 2025 doesn’t host a third-place playoff between the two teams that crashed out in the semi-final.

Club World Cup 2025 Groups

The Club World Cup 2025 group stage has eight groups between A and H, and the teams in each group are as follows:

Group A

SE Palmeiras (BRA)
FC Porto (POR)
Al Ahly FC (EGY)
Inter Miami CF (USA)

Group B

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
Botafogo (BRA)
Seattle Sounders FC (USA)

Group C

FC Bayern München (GER)
Auckland City FC (NZL)
CA Boca Juniors (ARG)
SL Benfica (POR)

Group D

CR Flamengo (BRA)
Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)
Chelsea FC (ENG)
Los Angeles FC (USA) / Club América (MEX)

Group E

CA River Plate (ARG)
Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)
CF Monterrey (MEX)
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)

Group F

Fluminense FC (BRA)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Ulsan HD (KOR)
Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA)

Group G

Manchester City (ENG)
Wydad AC (MAR)
Al Ain FC (UAE)
Juventus FC (ITA)

Group H

Real Madrid C. F. (ESP)
Al Hilal (KSA)
CF Pachuca (MEX)
FC Salzburg (AUT)

PSG are the only French team participating in the Club World Cup, thanks to reaching the UCL final three seasons ago. French fans are expected to support PSG on the pitch and online, where most of them can easily bet on the Ligue 1 champions using a French sportsbook.

Club World Cup 2025 Schedule and Dates

Like the World Cup, the Club World Cup 2025 starts with the group stage, which commences on June 15 and ends on June 27.

The round of 16 starts and finishes on June 28 and July 2, respectively. The quarter-final will last two days between July 4 and July 5. Three days later, the semi-final starts on June 8 and ends on June 9, while the final is due on July 13.

Club World Cup 2025 Venues

The Club World Cup 2025 will be played in the United States of America, and a total of 12 venues have been selected to host all 63 matches, including the final that will take place at MetLife Stadium in New York. Inter Miami will kick off the competition at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium when they take on Al Ahly. The USA football fans will hope they make good returns when they invest in Lionel Messi and Inter Miami using a United States sportsbook.

Below is the list of all selected 12 venues:

Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
GEODIS Park – Nashville, TN
Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
MetLife Stadium – New York New Jersey
Rose Bowl Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL
Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
Inter&Co Stadium – Orlando, FL
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
Audi Field – Washington, D.C.

How to watch the Club World Cup 2025

As things currently stand, FIFA confirmed DAZN as the only official global broadcaster for the Club World Cup 2025.

Conclusion

Like the World Cup, the Club World Cup will bring fans of different cultures and beliefs together in the United States. For the teams and players outside Europe, it’s a big opportunity to learn and improve on a few things from the European giants like Real Madrid and Manchester City. The competition may be held every four years, like the WC, but it won't be as intense. For the Europeans, the tournament will serve as a springboard for the upcoming season, providing an opportunity for managers to experiment with new strategies. Meanwhile, fans, particularly those who support their Dutch clubs, will have the opportunity to wager on their preferred teams through one of the Netherlands' sportsbooks.