Everything you need to know about the FIFA Club World Cup
2025 marks the 21st edition of the FIFA Club World Cup (FCWC), an international club football tournament, with a whole new format to boot!
But when is the FIFA Club World Cup and who's going to be playing in it? Bitesize has the answers to all your biggest questions below!
1. What is the FIFA Club World Cup?
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international club football tournament, where teams from six different continents(sorry Antarctica!) come together to compete for the crown of being the world's best club side.
This year's tournament marks a change of format, with 32 teams taking part as opposed to the usual seven. They will be spread across eight groups, before four rounds of knockouts take place to determine a winner.
2. When does the Club World Cup start?
The FCWC technically kicks off on 14 June 2025, with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami taking on Al Ahly at the Hardrock Stadium in Miami.
For UK fans the game will actually kick off at 1am BST on 15 June, due to the difference in time zones.
Group stage games will continue until 26 June 2025, with the knockout rounds beginning on 28 June. The final will be played on 13 July 2025.
Don't understand all the football jargon? We've got all the answers you need here!
3. Where is the Club World Cup 2025?
The 2025 Club World Cup will take place in the United States of America, with games being played across 12 venues in 11 different cities.
Matches will be played in Philadelphia, Washington D.C, Seattle, Pasadena, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami Gardens, Nashville, Orlando and East Rutherford.
East Rutherford, in New Jersey, will host the tournament's final. The game will take place at the MetLife stadium, which can hold up to 82,500 supporters.
4. What teams are at the Club World Cup 2025?
The 2025 tournament will consist of 32 teams in total. There are 12 European teams in the competition, including two sides from the Premier League: Manchester City and Chelsea.
The teams will be split evenly across eight groups, which are made up as follows:
- Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly and Inter Miami
- Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo and Seattle Sounders
- Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica
- Group D: Flamengo, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Chelsea and Los Angeles FC
- Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey and Inter Milan
- Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns
- Group G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus
- Group H: Real Madrid, Al-Hilal, Pachuca and FC Salzburg
5. How do you qualify for the Club World Cup?
Teams across six different international football confederations will be taking part in the tournament: Europe, Asia, North America, Oceania, South America and Africa.
Clubs from these continents have accumulated points over the last four seasons, based on their performance in continental competitions - like the Champions League or Copa Libertadores - with the highest-scoring teams qualifying for the 2025 CWC. Usually…
For example, Europe was given 12 slots in the 2025 tournament.
Four of these were intended for the winners of the Champions League between 2020/2021 and 2023/2024.
As Real Madrid won the Champions League twice in that period, only three of Europe's slots went to UCL winners. These being Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The remaining nine slots were determined by a league table of points, based on teams' Champions League performance between 20/21 and 23/24.
However, each country was capped at a maximum of two teams. This means teams like Liverpool and Barcelona won't take part, despite accumulating more points than FC Salzburg who have qualified for the 2025 competition.
6. Who has won the FIFA Club World Cup?
The reigning champions are Manchester City, who won the competition in 2023, beating Fluminense 4-0 in Saudi Arabia. This was the last Club World Cup to take place with the old format, where seven teams competed against each other to take home the trophy.
Four other English teams have won the tournament, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all also having Club World Cup trophies to shout about. Real Madrid hold the record for the most titles, with five Club World Cups sitting pretty in their trophy cabinet!
Where can I learn more about the Club World Cup?
If you're keen to learn more about the Club World Cup, check out these articles below:
