FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Teams & Tournament Info

The FIFA Club World Cup is returning in 2025 with a brand-new format. The tournament will start on June 14, 2025, and this time it will be bigger than ever. Instead of just seven clubs, the new version will feature 32 teams from all over the world. After a two-year break, FIFA has brought back the competition with major changes to increase excitement and global viewership.

This expanded format gives more clubs from every continent the chance to compete on the world stage. It also comes with a massive prize pool of 1 billion dollars. FIFA hopes that the new structure will help make this tournament one of the biggest events in football. Teams from all six football confederations will take part. These confederations are UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), Concacaf (North and Central America), and OFC (Oceania).

Each confederation has a certain number of spots. UEFA has the most, with 12 clubs. South America gets six. Africa, Asia, and North America each have four spots. Oceania has one. The host nation, the United States, gets one extra spot. This brings the total to 32 teams. The tournament will follow a World Cup-style format. There will be a group stage followed by knockout rounds. This gives teams more games and fans more to watch.

Teams qualify by winning or performing well in their continental championships. For example, the winners of the UEFA Champions League from 2021 to 2024 automatically qualify. Other clubs earn their place through points based on their performance over the years. This system ensures that strong and consistent clubs get a chance to compete.

From Europe, the clubs that have already secured a spot include Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and RB Leipzig. These teams either won the UEFA Champions League or collected enough ranking points from their performances in the tournament.

South America’s representatives are Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Atlético Mineiro. These teams earned their spots through success in the Copa Libertadores, the continent’s top club competition.

From North and Central America, the clubs include Monterrey, Club León, Seattle Sounders, and CF Pachuca. These clubs made it through their strong performances in the Concacaf Champions League over the last few years.

Africa will send Al Ahly from Egypt, Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, and Espérance from Tunisia. These teams earned their places through the CAF Champions League.

Asian teams include Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan, Al Ain from the UAE, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from South Korea. These clubs were chosen based on their success in the AFC Champions League.

From Oceania, Auckland City of New Zealand has qualified. They dominated the OFC Champions League and have regularly represented the region in past Club World Cups.

The United States will host the tournament. This is seen as part of FIFA’s larger plan to promote football in North America ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That World Cup will also be hosted by the US, along with Mexico and Canada. Hosting the Club World Cup in 2025 will serve as a warm-up for that bigger event.

The 2025 Club World Cup will run for about a month. It will include eight groups with four teams each. The top two teams from each group will move on to the knockout rounds, which start with the Round of 16. This format allows for more matches and gives fans the chance to see top clubs from different regions play against each other.

One of the biggest attractions of the new tournament is the prize money. With one billion dollars to be shared among the teams, the financial reward is huge. The winner will take home a large share, but even clubs that do not win will earn money for their participation. For clubs from smaller regions, this could mean a big boost in funding and attention.

FIFA hopes that by making the tournament bigger, it will help grow the game in more parts of the world. The global reach of the sport is increasing, and this competition is meant to reflect that change. Clubs that normally do not play each other will now get the chance to compete, giving fans new matchups to enjoy.

While some critics are worried about how this tournament fits into the already crowded football calendar, many see it as a good move. The chance to play against the best in the world and win big prizes is appealing to clubs and fans alike.

As the tournament gets closer, FIFA is expected to release more information about the schedule, venues, and rules. Football fans around the world are looking forward to the event.