FIFA Club World Cup 2025: The inaugural draw for the revamped FIFA Club World Cup will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m. ET in Miami. This new version of the competition will look vastly different from previous editions, and FIFA has made sure that Lionel Messi will be at the heart of the action.
In the past, the tournament featured seven teams from six FIFA confederations, with seven matches spread across 11 days at a central host location. But now, the competition has expanded to 32 teams, all vying for the title of the world’s best club team over the last four seasons. The new format will feature 63 matches played over 28 days.
This shift marks a significant evolution of the tournament, and it’s set to showcase an exciting clash of the world’s best club sides. Here’s everything you need to know about the reimagined competition.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup dates and venues
Next year, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is set to start on June 15 and end on July 13. The action will take place at the following 12 locations in the United States, which will serve as the sold host nation:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia
- TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio
- Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, Florida
- Geodis Park – Nashville, Tennessee
- MetLife Stadium – New York-New Jersey
- Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, North Carolina
- Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida
- Inter&Co Stadium – Orlando, Florida
- Rose Bowl Stadium – Los Angeles, California
- Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Lumen Field – Seattle, Washington
- Audi Field – Washington, D.C.
What is the format of the Club World Cup?
The format of the new FIFA Club World Cup follows a structure similar to that of the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League. The 32 teams will be drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing every other team in their group once. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group, winners and runners-up, will advance to the knockout round.
From there, the tournament moves into a straight knockout format, with the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. In case of a draw at any stage of the knockout rounds, extra time and penalties will determine which team progresses. This revamped format promises an exciting and competitive tournament, packed with high-stakes matches.
Which teams are playing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will feature 32 teams drawn into four pots based on their performances in their respective domestic and continental competitions. Here’s a breakdown of the participating teams, grouped into pots:
Pot 1
the four highest-ranked teams from UEFA (UEFA 1-4)
the four highest-ranked teams from CONMEBOL (CONMEBOL 1-4)
Pot 2
the remaining eight teams from UEFA (UEFA 5-12)
Pot 3
the two highest-ranked teams from the AFC (AFC 1-2)
the two highest-ranked teams from CAF (CAF 1-2)
the two highest-ranked teams from Concacaf (Concacaf 1-2)
the remaining two teams from CONMEBOL (CONMEBOL 5-6)
Pot 4
the remaining two teams from the AFC (AFC 3-4)
the remaining two teams from CAF (CAF 3-4)
the remaining two teams from Concacaf (Concacaf 3-4)
the team from the OFC (OFC 1)
the team from the host country (Host 1)
This is how that works out for the tournament:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City (ENG) | Chelsea (ENG) | Al Hilal (KSA) | Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) |
| Real Madrid (ESP) | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | Ulsan HD (KOR) | Al Ain (UAE) |
| Bayern Munich (GER) | Inter Milan (ITA) | Al Ahly (EGY) | Espérance (TUN) |
| PSG (FRA) | Porto (POR) | Wydad AC (MAR) | Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) |
| Flamengo (BRA) | Atlético Madrid (ESP) | Monterrey (MEX) | Pachuca (MEX) |
| Palmeiras (BRA) | Benfica (POR) | Club Léon (MEX) | Seattle Sounders (USA) |
| River Plate (ARG) | Juventus (ITA) | Boca Juniors (ARG) | Auckland City (NZL) |
| Fluminense (BRA) | Salzburg (AUT) | Botafogo (BRA) | Inter Miami (USA) |
2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw procedure
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw will take place on Thursday, December 5, at 1:00 p.m. ET, and it will follow a structured procedure. The draw will begin with teams from Pot 1 being allocated into the eight different groups, followed by teams from Pot 2, then Pot 3, and finally Pot 4.
According to AS News, as part of the scheduling, the host country teams, Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders, will be placed in specific positions in the draw. Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi, will take Position 4 in Group A, while Seattle Sounders will be placed in Position 4 in Group B. The opening game of the tournament will feature Inter Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 15.
There are certain restrictions in place for the draw. Teams from the same country cannot be drawn into the same group, and each group will contain only one team from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA, which contributes 12 teams to the tournament. Four of the eight groups will have one European team, while the other four will have two. Fans can follow the live draw starting just before 1:00 p.m. ET on December 5.
Who has qualified for this edition of the Club World Cup?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has 31 teams that earned their spots through merit. Each country was allowed a maximum of two teams, with one exception: all continental champions automatically qualify. Brazilian clubs are very successful in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, so Brazil gets four spots instead of just two. This means four Brazilian teams will compete in the tournament.
However, once a country reached its limit of two teams, other clubs from that country couldn’t qualify through rankings. This left out several big clubs, like Liverpool, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and AC Milan.
For example, although Liverpool is highly ranked, they missed out because other teams like Chelsea and Manchester City had already claimed spots by winning the Champions League. Similarly, Barcelona missed out because their Champions League results weren’t as strong as Atlético Madrid, who took the ranking spot.
According to ESPN, the full list of teams that qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup is made up of the winners from each continent and some teams that ranked highly in recent years.
Club World Cup teams
| Team | Country | Path |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea |  |
Champions League win 2020-21 |
| Real Madrid |  |
Champions League win 2021-22 |
| Manchester City | |
Champions League win 2022-23 |
| Bayern Munich |  |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Paris Saint-Germain |  |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Internazionale |  |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| FC Porto |  |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Benfica | |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Borussia Dortmund | |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Juventus | |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Atlético Madrid | |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Red Bull Salzburg |  |
UEFA 4-year ranking |
| Palmeiras |  |
CONMEBOL Libertadores win 2021 |
| Flamengo | |
CONMEBOL Libertadores win 2022 |
| Fluminense | |
CONMEBOL Libertadores win 2023 |
| Botafogo | |
CONMEBOL Libertadores win 2024 |
| River Plate |  |
CONMEBOL 4-year ranking |
| Boca Juniors | |
CONMEBOL 4-year ranking |
| Monterrey |  |
CONCACAF Champions League win 2021 |
| Seattle Sounders FC |  |
CONCACAF Champions League win 2022 |
| León | |
CONCACAF Champions League win 2023 |
| Pachuca | |
CONCACAF Champions League win 2024 |
| Al Hilal |  |
AFC Champions League win 2021 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds |  |
AFC Champions League win 2022 |
| Al Ain |  |
AFC Champions League win 2023-24 |
| Ulsan HD |  |
AFC 4-year ranking |
| Al Ahly |  |
CAF Champions League win 2020-21 |
| Wydad AC |  |
CAF Champions League win 2021-22 |
| Espérance de Tunis |  |
CAF 4-year ranking |
| Mamelodi Sundowns |  |
CAF 4-year ranking |
| Auckland City |  |
OFC 4-year ranking |
