FIFA Club World Cup 2025: All You Need to Know About the Inaugural Expanded Tournament

 

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: All You Need to Know About the Inaugural Expanded Tournament

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 marks a monumental shift in intercontinental club football, transforming from its previous annual, seven-team format into a grand 32-team spectacle. Hosted across the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025, this revamped tournament promises a thrilling month of action, culminating in the final at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey.

Tournament Format and Key Dates

The expanded FIFA Club World Cup features a structure similar to recent FIFA World Cups, with 32 teams divided into eight groups of four. Each team plays a single-game round-robin within their group, and the top two from each group advance to a direct single-match knockout stage, starting from the Round of 16 through to the final. Notably, there will be no third-place play-off.

Key Dates:

• Group Stage: June 14 - June 26, 2025

• Round of 16: June 28 - July 1, 2025

• Quarter-finals: July 4 - July 5, 2025

• Semi-finals: July 8 - July 9, 2025

• Final: July 13, 2025, at MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey

The opening match, between Al Ahly and Inter Miami, took place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Qualified Teams and Global Representation

A total of 32 elite clubs from six confederations earned their coveted spots in this prestigious tournament. Europe (UEFA) leads with 12 representatives, followed by South America (CONMEBOL) with six. Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF), and North, Central America, and the Caribbean (Concacaf) each have four teams, while Oceania (OFC) has one. The final spot is allocated to the host nation's representative.

Some of the prominent clubs competing include:

• UEFA (Europe): Chelsea FC, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, FC Porto, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg.

• CONMEBOL (South America): Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, River Plate, Botafogo, Boca Juniors.

• AFC (Asia): Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain FC, Ulsan HD.

• CAF (Africa): Al Ahly FC, Wydad AC, Espérance, Mamelodi Sundowns FC.

• Concacaf (North/Central America & Caribbean): Monterrey, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders FC, Inter Miami CF (host nation representative).

• OFC (Oceania): Auckland City.

The tournament features many global superstars, including Lionel Messi for Inter Miami CF and Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid.

Prize Money and Stakes

The stakes are incredibly high, with a total prize pot of $1 billion USD up for grabs. The champions could earn up to $125 million, making it one of the most lucrative club competitions in football.

Final Showdown: Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain

As of July 10, 2025, the tournament has reached its thrilling climax. The semi-finals have concluded, setting up a highly anticipated final between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), scheduled for Sunday, July 13.

In the semi-finals, PSG delivered a commanding 4-0 victory over Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium, with Fabian Ruiz scoring twice and Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos adding to the tally. Chelsea, on the other hand, secured their spot in the final by defeating Fluminense 2-0.

Odds and Predictions

Heading into the final, Paris Saint-Germain are widely considered the favorites to lift the inaugural expanded FIFA Club World Cup trophy, backed by their dominant performances in the tournament and recent UEFA Champions League triumph. Chelsea, however, with their expensively assembled squad, will be looking to cause an upset and add another prestigious title to their collection.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 promises to redefine club football, bringing together the world's best teams in an unprecedented competition for global supremacy.

For more information and updates, you can visit the official FIFA website and other sports news outlets:

• FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Teams, dates and official information

• FIFA Club World Cup 2025 full schedule, all results, scores, and standings - Olympics.com

• FIFA Club World Cup: PSG hammer Real Madrid 4-0, to face Chelsea in final - The Times of India

• FIFA Club World Cup: Which teams are in the final? | Football News - Al Jazeera

• Club World Cup 2025 Predictions | Chelsea vs PSG Final Tips & Odds - JohnnyBet

• FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Latest Betting Odds and Expert Predictions - Betselect