It will be the same familiar format that was used by FIFA up until the 2022 World Cup!
It would be wrong to call the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup a brand new competition. What is not an exaggeration, though, is the fact that the tournament has been completely revamped by FIFA. The new format has drawn the attention of fans but the overall opinion remains divided.
The structure of the competition will be discussed in detail below but it is important to note that it will involve some of the top teams in the world. Like with almost all statistics used in football predictions nowadays, experts see Manchester City and Real Madrid among the favourites to win. At the same time, there are unique factors to keep in mind when analysing the potential outcome of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
So, this article will uncover the new 32-team format of Club World Cup, go over the participating teams and analyse whether the football fans around the world should bother watching it.
The last FIFA Club World Cup in the old format was held in 2023, with Manchester City being proclaimed champions. From now on, the plan is to hold the competition every four years, but instead of seven participating clubs, there will be 32.
The 32 clubs will be drawn into eight different groups of four. One team will play a match against each other team in the group for the chance to advance to the play-offs. The top two teams will advance to the knock-outs, which will be a single-stage elimination round, culminating in the final.
To put it simply, it will be the same familiar format that was used by FIFA up until the 2022 World Cup, with the only exception that there will be no third-place match.
The matches will be played in the United States of America between June 15 and July 13.
Teams from 6 different confederations will take part in the tournament, Thus, there will be 12 sides from UEFA (Europe), six from CONMEBOL (South America), four each from AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North America), one from OFC (Oceania) and one host team. To qualify, the team needed to have won the prime continental tournament (like the UEFA Champions League) in the last four seasons or to sit highest in the continental ranking until the quota was fulfilled.
The confirmed teams are:
Europe – Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg.
South America – Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, River Plate, and Boca Juniors.
Asia – Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, and Ulsan HD.
Africa – Al Ahly, Wydad AC, Esperance de Tunis, and Mamelodi Sundowns.
North America – Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Club Leon, and Pachuca.
Oceania – Auckland City.
Host team – Inter Miami.
One more team from South America remains to be confirmed. Afterwards, the draw will take place to determine the groups.
It appears that there is a divide between fans in regards to the new format. European fans see their clubs compete weekly against some of the top teams in the world both in the league and UEFA Champions League, and do not see the need for this competition. They view it as a cash grab from FIFA at the expense of player’s health, as it will prolong the official season.
Fans outside Europe, though, are excited about the opportunity to see their teams clash against legendary clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and others. To them, the competition is a way to prove that the gap between Europe and the rest of the world is overblown.
If we are talking about lifelong fans of the participating clubs, then yes, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a must-watch. The competition will offer the opportunity to see some rotational players get some action, and there is also potential for top-level matches in the advanced stages. Finally, there is the chance to make history and become the first winner of the FIFA Club World Cup in the extended format.
For a neutral fan, though, the answer is more subtle. The players have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the tournament because it increases the pressure and workload. At the end of the season, we will see a more relaxed approach and a lot of rotations, especially in a game between a big European club and a total outsider.
Thus, for the neutral fans, it would only make sense to tune in to the knockouts, when the exciting and competitive match-ups begin. The group stage, with perhaps the exception of a couple of games, can be skipped.
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