Club World Cup 2025: Schedule, teams, stadiums, controversies, how to watch and more

Yahoo

2 days ago

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a 32-team tournament featuring top professional clubs from around the world, set to begin June 15, 2025, in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of FIFA)
The 2025 Club World Cup is a first-of-its-kind tournament that, in FIFA's dreams, is precisely what its name suggests. It's a 32-team extravaganza modeled after soccer's actual World Cup, with one key difference: top professional clubs, such as Real Madrid — rather than national teams, such as Spain — are the contestants.
It is scheduled to begin June 14 in the United States. And when it does, to FIFA, it will be 'innovative, inclusive, groundbreaking and truly global.' It represents a novel concept in sports, where the vast majority of pro teams compete exclusively within national or continental borders; the Club World Cup, on the other hand, will feature multinational pro teams — soccer's equivalent of the New York Knicks or Kansas City Chiefs — from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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It is, in theory, a true world championship. But it's also controversial. Its launch has been dogged by organizational missteps, financial battles, player workload concerns and resistance from the European soccer establishment.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, though, puzzle pieces squirmed into place. Twelve U.S. stadiums were chosen. A global broadcast deal with DAZN, and then sublicensing deals with TNT and Univision, were signed. The groups were drawn. The full schedule arrived. A $1 billion prize money pot was revealed.
The Club World Cup, in other words, is happening. And the following is an attempt to explain it, beginning with the basics, then the complexities.
When is the 2025 Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup begins June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Inter Miami will play Egypt's Al Ahly in the opener at 8 p.m. ET.
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It concludes July 13 with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The full schedule — dates, locations, matchups, kickoff times — is here (in grid form), here (in text), and below.
Where is the 2025 Club World Cup?
The 12 U.S. venues set to host games are:
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
• Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
• TQL Stadium in Cincinnati
• The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
• Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
• GEODIS Park in Nashville
• MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
• Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida
• Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
• Lumen Field in Seattle
• Audi Field in Washington
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MetLife will host nine matches, including both semifinals and the final. Philadelphia and Miami will get eight games apiece. Atlanta, Seattle and the Rose Bowl will get six.
Most venues are on or near the U.S. east coast because of its proximity to Europe, which will send 12 teams, and which boasts coveted media markets. East-coast games will minimize travel (for teams and fans) and inconvenient time differences (for TV viewers).
FIFA also made this decision in coordination with CONCACAF, soccer's North and Central American governing body, which will stage its continental championship, the Gold Cup, simultaneously and entirely west of the Mississippi River.
How can I watch the 2025 Club World Cup be on TV?
DAZN, a streaming service, will make all 63 games available to viewers globally for free.
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Many of the appealing games will also be broadcast in the United States on TNT and/or Univision (and/or their affiliate channels).
Univision, UniMás and TUDN will air 18 games; (schedule). TNT will show 24, but, as of May, it had not confirmed the specific matches.
Which teams are in the 2025 Club World Cup?
The 32 clubs set to participate are …
Europe (12): Manchester City (England), Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Inter Milan (Italy), PSG (France), Benfica (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), RB Salzburg (Austria)
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North America (5): Inter Miami (U.S.), Seattle Sounders (U.S.), Monterrey (Mexico), Pachuca (Mexico), and the winner of a play-in game between LAFC (U.S.) and Club América (Mexico)
South America (6): Flamengo (Brazil), Palmeiras (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil), Botafogo (Brazil), River Plate (Argentina), Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Asia (4): Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulsan (South Korea), Urawa Reds (Japan), Al Ain (UAE)
Africa (4): Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad (Morocco), ES Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Oceania (1): Auckland City (New Zealand)
Why those teams, but not Barcelona, Liverpool and others? How did they qualify?
In 2023, FIFA allocated the Club World Cup's 32 berths to Europe (12), South America (6), CONCACAF (4), Africa (4), Asia (4), Oceania (1) and the host nation (1).
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To earn those berths, there were two qualification routes — one simple, one complicated.
The simple path was via continental championships. Every club that won the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, or the Asian and African equivalents between 2021 and 2024 qualified automatically.
Beyond those champions, slots were filled by a results-based ranking system, but with a caveat: only the top two clubs from any given country could qualify via rankings.
So, even though Liverpool ranked eighth in Europe, the Reds missed out because Man City and Chelsea won the Champions League in 2023 and 2021. Barcelona, meanwhile, ranked two spots behind Atlético Madrid — because Barca underperformed in the Champions League over the four seasons prior to its 2024-25 resurgence. Salzburg ranked 18th, but snuck in because others from Spain, Italy and Germany also ran up against the two-per-country cap.
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In South America, four different Brazilian clubs swept the Libertadores titles. Argentine giants Boca and River claimed the two additional seats at the table.
In Africa, Al Ahly won three of four Champions League titles, so Espérance Tunis and Mamelodi Sundowns joined them and Wydad in the field.
In CONCACAF, things were initially straightforward, with four distinct winners … except for the 'host nation slot.' FIFA never said how a team could claim that slot — until October 2024, when FIFA president Gianni Infantino appeared in South Florida, unannounced on the final day of the MLS regular season, to declare that Inter Miami would get it.
So why is there a play-in game?
Two of CONCACAF's four qualifiers, the Mexican clubs Pachuca and León, are owned by the same entity, Grupo Pachuca. In October, after both had qualified, FIFA released the Club World Cup's regulations, which include an article prohibiting the participation of teams who share an owner. Months later, citing this rule, FIFA expelled León from the tournament, and concocted a play-in game between LAFC and Club América for the final spot. That game is Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, DAZN).
What is the Club World Cup format?
The Club World Cup will run just like past men's World Cups, with the 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.
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The top two in each group will advance to the Round of 16. From there, single-elimination games will decide a champion.
How is the 2025 Club World Cup different from previous iterations?
For roughly two decades, FIFA ran another tournament also called the Club World Cup. That, though, was a shorter seven-team tournament played annually in the winter, and contested by only the most recent champion of each continent (plus one club from the host country).
That tournament has now morphed into the 'FIFA Intercontinental Cup.' The 32-team quadrennial summer tournament that will launch in 2025, and that you're reading about now, is distinct, and unconnected to the seven-team annual version — other than the 'Club World Cup' name.
Who are the favorites?
The European giants.
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At BetMGM, Real Madrid and Manchester City are co-favorites (+450). PSG and Inter Milan, the Champions League finalists, and Bayern Munich should also contend. So could Chelsea and Atlético Madrid.
Manchester City, winners of the previous iteration of the Club World Cup in 2023, are among the favorites to take home the trophy in 2025's updated tournament. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, file)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Who's in which group?
A glitzy, bizarre, painfully long December draw in Miami sorted the teams into the following eight groups:
Group A: Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Portugal), Al Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (U.S.)
Group B: PSG (France), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), Seattle Sounders (U.S.)
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Auckland City (New Zealand), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Benfica (Portugal)
Group D: Flamengo (Brazil), ES Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), Club América/LAFC (Mexico/U.S.)
Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Reds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan (Italy)
Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan (South Korea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Group G: Manchester City (England), Wydad (Morocco), Al Ain (UAE), Juventus (Italy)
Group H: Real Madrid (Spain), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Pachuca (Mexico), RB Salzburg (Austria)
Will the non-European clubs be able to compete with Champions League giants?
That's the million-dollar question of the Club World Cup. With intercontinental club competitions so scarce, not a soul knows for sure how clubs from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, MLS, East Asia, North Africa and elsewhere will measure up to the likes of Bayern, PSG and Porto.
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The assumption — based on rosters and salaries — is that the European teams are superior. But betting markets have been somewhat skeptical, and suggest the gap might be thinner than Westerners realize. At the time of the draw, Palmeiras was +1900 to win the title — same as Dortmund and Juve. Al Hilal and Flamengo were +2500 — same as Porto and Benfica.
There are several indexes grounded in analytics that attempt to rank clubs across borders and seas. Most lead to a middle-ground conclusion: the Man Cities, Real Madrids and Bayerns of the world stand confidently atop the sport, but not all European teams do. Upsets will be possible. Opta's power rankings, which include over 13,000 clubs, rate the 33* Club World Cup contestants as follows:
(Opta global rank and rating in parentheses, as of May 29)
Manchester City (3, 98.6)
PSG (4, 98.3)
Inter Milan (6, 97.5)
Bayern Munich (7, 97.2)
Real Madrid (8, 96.4)
Chelsea (9, 96.0)
Atlético Madrid (14, 93.5)
Borussia Dortmund (15, 93.1)
Juventus (21, 92.0)
Benfica (25, 91.8)
Porto (56, 87.2)
Palmeiras (66, 86.1)
Al Hilal (77, 85.5)
Flamengo (81, 85.1)
River Plate (86, 84.8)
*Club América (91, 84.5)
Al Ahly (102, 83.9)
RB Salzburg (126, 82.9)
*LAFC (127, 82.9)
Monterrey (130, 82.7)
Boca Juniors (131, 82.7)
Botafogo (132, 82.7)
Mamelodi Sundowns (137, 82.6)
Seattle Sounders (144, 82.2)
Inter Miami (166, 81.7)
Pachuca (229, 80.2)
Fluminense (238, 80.0)
ES Tunis (258, 79.6)
Urawa Reds (295, 78.9)
Ulsan (366, 77.7)
Wydad (369, 77.6)
Al Ain (611, 74.5)
Auckland City (4944, 55.5)
Will the European clubs send their best players?
Yes. In fact, FIFA's published Club World Cup regulations state that all participating clubs must 'field their strongest team throughout the competition.'
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And the prize money on offer — potentially over $100 million for a European winner — is sufficient incentive for them to do just that.
FIFA has also opened up a special transfer window for all participating clubs to add to their squads ahead of the tournament. Final rosters are due June 10.
I've heard the Club World Cup is all about money. Is that true?
Sort of — to the extent that all of modern sport is about money.
The Club World Cup is FIFA's attempt to monetize soccer's biggest clubs and players — which double as the sport's most marketable brands.
Currently, the vast majority of club soccer games, and therefore revenues — from broadcast rights, sponsorships and more — are controlled by domestic leagues, such as the English Premier League; and by continental confederations, namely UEFA, which runs the hugely profitable Champions League.
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FIFA, meanwhile, makes billions off the World Cup, a quadrennial showpiece for national teams. But because the Champions League is an annual bonanza, UEFA's revenues are far greater. Those revenues trickle down to European clubs and national soccer federations, which use the money to recruit or produce players — and consolidate their supremacy.
So, FIFA created the Club World Cup, which, for the first time, could allow the global governing body to profit off those same clubs — and share some small percentage of the spoils with 200-plus national soccer federations around the world, rather than solely the European ones.
FIFA argues that this would be a noble redistribution of wealth. Critics argue it's a 'cash grab'; part of a personal battle between Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin; and a ploy to reinforce Infantino's political power — because the presidents of the 200-plus national soccer federations sharing the spoils double as FIFA's electorate.
UEFA and the top European leagues, meanwhile, have blasted and resisted Infantino's plan, because they want to keep all Real Madrid- or Manchester City-related revenue to themselves.
Aren't they all concerned about player workload?
The players and their unions are. FIFPRO Europe, a branch of the global players' union, has called the Club World Cup a 'tipping point' in the broader context of soccer's ever-congested calendar. They've launched a legal claim against FIFA, which 'unilaterally set' the calendar, with space carved out for the Club World Cup. They argue that, especially with the new tournament extending seasons by a month, players' bodies and brains are becoming overworked and overwhelmed.
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The leagues, on the other hand, say they're concerned about workload; but really, they want to protect their market share. They already organize dozens of games per club every year; the Club World Cup will merely add a few games for a small handful of teams once every four years. The leagues want to preserve their primacy on the calendar.
Their problem is that FIFA controls both the Club World Cup and the calendar. So they, too, have gone to court and attacked 'FIFA's conflict of interest.' They've argued to the European Commission that FIFA is abusing its position as both a commercially minded organizer and regulator of soccer. Their case, which many experts believe has merit, could muddy the future of this new tournament.
How is FIFA funding the Club World Cup?
FIFA, anticipating immense interest in the Club World Cup, initially budgeted billions of dollars in revenue. But broadcasters and sponsors — the two main sources of potential income — were lukewarm. Negotiations with Apple collapsed. As the draw approached, no television partners had been announced; and sponsors had only just begun to appear.
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But then, in December, FIFA announced that DAZN had purchased global broadcast rights. Two people familiar with the deal confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the deal was worth around $1 billion — the same amount that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund invested in DAZN two months later.
That $1 billion ensured that the 2025 Club World Cup could happen.
How can I buy tickets?
Tickets are available via FIFA and Ticketmaster.
With two weeks to go until the opener, plenty are available for most games. And with demand relatively low, FIFA has slashed ticket prices for most games, in some cases by more than 50%.
So, will the Club World Cup be a big deal?
It could be. In many ways, it should be. But most insiders expect the 2025 edition to be a mixed bag of vibrancy, mishaps, full stadiums and duds.
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Even a mixed bag, though, should be enough to get the Club World Cup off the ground, and in position for success in 2029 and beyond. (It could return to the U.S. in 2029.)
Full 2025 Club World Cup schedule
The full schedule is below. All kickoff times are U.S. Eastern Time.
Saturday, June 14
8 p.m. — Inter Miami vs. Al Ahly — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Sunday, June 15
Noon — Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City — TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
3 p.m. — PSG vs. Atlético Madrid — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
6 p.m. — Palmeiras vs. Porto — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
10 p.m. — Seattle Sounders vs. Botafogo — Lumen Field (Seattle)
Monday, June 16
3 p.m. — Chelsea vs. LAFC/Club América — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
6 p.m. — Boca Juniors vs. Benfica — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
9 p.m. — Flamengo vs. ES Tunis — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Tuesday, June 17
Noon — Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
3 p.m. — River Plate vs. Urawa Reds — Lumen Field (Seattle)
6 p.m. — Ulsan vs. Mamelodi Sundowns — Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando)
9 p.m. — Monterrey vs. Inter Milan — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
Wednesday, June 18
Noon — Manchester City vs. Wydad — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
3 p.m. — Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
6 p.m. — Pachuca vs. RB Salzburg — TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
9 p.m. — Al Ain vs. Juventus — Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Thursday, June 19
Noon — Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
3 p.m. — Inter Miami vs. Porto — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
6 p.m. — Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid — Lumen Field (Seattle)
9 p.m. — PSG vs. Botafogo — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
Friday, June 20
Noon — Benfica vs. Auckland City — Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando)
2 p.m. — Flamengo vs. Chelsea — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
6 p.m. — LAFC/Club América vs. ES Tunis — GEODIS Park (Nashville)
9 p.m. — Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Saturday, June 21
Noon — Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund — TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
3 p.m. — Inter Milan vs. Urawa Reds — Lumen Field (Seattle)
6 p.m. — Fluminense vs. Ulsan — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
9 p.m. — River Plate vs. Monterrey — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
Sunday, June 22
Noon — Juventus vs. Wydad — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
3 p.m. — Real Madrid vs. Pachuca — Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
6 p.m. — RB Salzburg vs. Al Hilal — Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
9 p.m. — Manchester City vs. Al Ain — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Monday, June 23
3 p.m. — Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
3 p.m. — Seattle Sounders vs. PSG — Lumen Field (Seattle)
9 p.m. — Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
9 p.m. — Porto vs. Al Ahly — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Tuesday, June 24
3 p.m. — Benfica vs. Bayern Munich — Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
3 p.m. — Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors — GEODIS Park (Nashville)
9 p.m. — LAFC/Club América vs. Flamengo — Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
9 p.m. — ES Tunis vs. Chelsea — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Wednesday, June 25
3 p.m. — Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan — TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
3 p.m. — Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
9 p.m. — Urawa Reds vs. Monterrey — Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
9 p.m. — Inter Milan vs. River Plate — Lumen Field (Seattle)
Thursday, June 26
3 p.m. — Juventus vs. Manchester City — Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
3 p.m. — Wydad vs. Al Ain — Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
9 p.m. — Al Hilal vs. Pachuca — GEODIS Park (Nashville)
9 p.m. — RB Salzburg vs. Real Madrid — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
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Friday, June 27
Rest day.
Saturday, June 28 — Round of 16
Noon — A winner vs. B runner-up — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
4 p.m. — C winner vs. D runner-up — Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
Sunday, June 29 — Round of 16
Noon — B winner vs. A runner-up — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
4 p.m. — D winner vs. C runner-up — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Monday, June 30 — Round of 16
3 p.m. — E winner vs. F runner-up — Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
9 p.m. — G winner vs. H runner-up — Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
Tuesday, July 1 — Round of 16
3 p.m. — H winner vs. G runner-up — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
9 p.m. — F winner vs. E runner-up — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
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Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3
Rest days.
Friday, July 4 — Quarterfinals
3 p.m. — 1E/2F vs. 1G/2H — Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
9 p.m. — 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D — Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Saturday, July 5 — Quarterfinals
Noon — 1B/2A vs. 1D/2C — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
4 p.m. — 1F/2E vs. 1H/2G — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Sunday, July 6 and Monday, July 7
Rest days.
Tuesday, July 8 — Semifinals
3 p.m. — 1A/2B/1C/2D vs. 1E/2F/1G/2H — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Wednesday, July 9 — Semifinals
3 p.m. — 1B/2A/1D/2C vs. 1A/2B vs. 1C/2D — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
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Thursday, July 10 – Saturday, July 12
Rest days.
Sunday, July 13 — Final
3 p.m. — Final — MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)