Lumen Field’s Club World Cup slate will kick off with the Sounders facing Copa Libertadores winner Botafogo at 7 p.m. PST on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
FIFA released its 63-match schedule for the men’s tournament early Saturday. It bumped up the start of the tournament to a single match between invited host Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly FC on June 14 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida. The CWC final will be July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Sounders will play all of their Group B matches at Lumen Field. Following the matchup with the Brazilian side Botafogo, Seattle will play Spain’s Atlético Madrid at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, and France’s Paris Saint-Germain at noon on Monday, June 23.
Lumen Field is also the site for Group E matches. Argentina’s CA River Plate will play Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds at noon on Tuesday, June 17. Italy’s FC Internazionale Milano will play the Red Diamonds at noon on Saturday, June 21, and the final match at Lumen Field is between Milano and River Plate at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25.
Tickets will go on sale Dec. 19 at 7 a.m. PST via FIFA.com/ticket. Sounders season-ticket members will receive priority ticket access for matches at Lumen Field. Those interested can visit SoundersFC.com for more information.
The reimagined CWC gathers 32 of the top clubs from FIFA’s six regional confederations. Seattle qualified as the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly Champions League) winner while Miami, the reigning MLS Supporters’ Shield winner, was selected by FIFA.
Clubs were divided into eight groups of four decided via draw Thursday and will play in 12 stadiums — six MLS sites — across the U.S. The top two finishers from each will advance to the knockout stages.
Should the Sounders advance as the Group B winner, they would face the runner-up of Group A in a Round of 16 match at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium at noon on Sunday, June 29. If Seattle were the Group B runner-up, they would play the Group A winner in at noon on Saturday, June 28, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
FIFA said scheduling was formatted to give teams three days of rest between group-stage matches. Travel for fans was also considered in group placement.
MLS will shut down for part of the CWC. But the league, which will have 30 teams next year, is also balancing participation in the U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup and CONCACAF competitions.
The Sounders were one of eight to participate in the Open Cup this year. MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX are considering dwindling Leagues Cup participation to 18 teams.
MLS hasn’t released its 2025 schedule but is expected to start in late February or early March.
“We want teams to have an opportunity to lift a trophy and maybe if some of them could lift multiple trophies, that’s a good thing,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber told media Friday. “But it is going to be nearly impossible for all teams to be able to participate in all tournaments. It’s just not enough (dates) during the schedule with or without any change in the calendar.”
Mark. Your. Calendars. ✍️🗓️
The #FIFACWC 2025 match schedule is here. pic.twitter.com/zZaab9Xi6h
This story will be updated.
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.