Two teams from the United States will participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Seattle Sounders qualified by winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup, while the USA will receive one additional place for being the host nation.
FIFA has not yet revealed what criteria will be used to select the second participant from Major League Soccer.
But based on what we do know about FIFA’s qualification process, the identities of 19 of the 32 teams that will play at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup have already been confirmed.
2021 world champions Chelsea have already qualified for the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
IMAGO/Action Plus
FIFA this week confirmed that the 2025 Club World Cup will start on June 15 and conclude with the final on July 13.
All matches will be played in the USA.
The tournament will include 32 clubs and start with a group stage – eight groups of four teams.
The top two teams from each group will then progress to the round of 16.
Games in the knockout rounds will all be single-legged and there will not be a third-place play-off.
Winning the UEFA Champions League between 2021 and 2024 will guarantee qualification for the 2025 Club World Cup.
Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City have therefore already qualified after winning the UCL in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.
They will be joined in the 2025 Club World Cup by the European champions of 2024.
The other eight European teams will be selected using FIFA’s coefficient rankings, which are based on performances in international competitions over the previous four seasons.
However, a cap of two clubs per country will be enforced unless that country has had more than two Champions League winners during the qualifying period.
For example, Arsenal can only qualify for the 2025 FIFA World Cup by winning the 2023/24 Champions League and not based on their position in the FIFA coefficient rankings.
Five European clubs have already earned sufficient ranking points to be guaranteed a spot at the 2025 Club World Cup. They are Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica.
Manchester City qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup by winning the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League
IMAGO/Gonzales Photo/Tommaso Fimiano
North America has four places and all four will go to winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, previously known as the CONCACAF Champions League.
Monterrey, Seattle Sounders and Club Leon have qualified already. They will be joined by North America’s club champions of 2024.
If Monterrey win the Champions Cup in 2024 then CONCACAF’s fourth spot will be decided by the FIFA coefficient ranking system.
The process for South America is the same as Europe but with just two qualifying spots based on coefficient, rather than eight.
Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense are already in, having won the Copa Libertadores in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Brazil will have at least three teams at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, including 2023 Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense
IMAGO/Pera Photo Press/Fernando Silva
All four of Africa’s places would normally be filled by the teams winning the CAF Champions League.
But because Egypt’s Al Ahly won the Champions League in both 2021 and 2023 then Africa’s fourth place will be earned via the ranking pathway.
Morocco’s Wydad AC qualified by being crowned champions of Africa in 2022.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds have already qualified by winning the AFC Champions League in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
But due to recent changes made to the soccer calendar in Asia, there was not a 2023 edition of the AFC Champions League,
Therefore, the winners of the 2023/24 AFC Champions League will be joined at the 2025 Club World Cup by a fourth Asian qualifier based on FIFA’s coefficient rankings.
Oceania only has one spot. To be eligible for qualification a team must win the OFC Champions League.
The four most recent Champions League winners will then be ranked by coefficient, with the team in first place qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup.
But it is mathematically impossible for any club to earn more ranking points than New Zealand’s Auckland City, who won the OFC Champions League in 2022 and 2023.
The USA will receive an extra place for hosting the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA said in a statement published on Sunday: “The final slot is allocated to a club from the host country, with further details being provided in due course.”
