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 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 the Sounders were the Group B runner-up, they would play the Group A winner 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. In addition to limiting Open Cup participation, MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX are considering dwindling Leagues Cup to 18 teams.
The Sounders were one of eight MLS clubs to participate in the Open Cup this year, advancing to the semifinals. The Rave Green also reached the Leagues Cup quarterfinals and the Western Conference playoff final for a 22-13-12 overall record in 47 matches.
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
The Sounders qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Saturday. It’s their first appearance in the regional competition since becoming the first MLS side to win the modern format in 2022.
Seattle’s berth is courtesy of the LA Galaxy winning the MLS Cup title on Saturday. Instead of taking one of the league’s best-finishing teams slots, the Galaxy earned the automatic bid as the MLS champion. The Sounders, who finished seventh in the Supporters’ Shield standings (16-9-9, 57 points), are the next-best non-qualified team.
The Columbus Crew (Leagues Cup), Sporting Kansas City (Open Cup), Inter Miami (East), FC Cincinnati (East) and Real Salt Lake (West) round out MLS clubs in the CCC field of 27.
CONCACAF will hold its draw for the tournament Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST. It can be viewed live locally either on YouTube or FS2.
The tournament’s opening rounds, including the Sounders’ matches, are slated to begin in February with the Round of 16 in March, the quarterfinals in early April and semifinals in late April and early May. Those stages will be two-legged series (home and away) with aggregate scoring.
The final is now a one-off match scheduled for Sunday, June 1, 2025.
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