The FIFA Club World Cup has been around since the turn of the 21st Century.
For those who don’t know, the Club World Cup is a tournament that consists of the continental champions from UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL, (South America) CONCACAF, (North and Central America) CAF, (Africa) AFC, (Asia) and the OFC. (Oceania) It is usually held in the fall and winter months with the final typically being in December, January or February.
Clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Corinthians and Boca Juniors have won the tournament in the past. The most recent champion is Manchester City.
However, things will change in 2025 with the tournament being held in the United States.
The Club World Cup will be expanded. 12 teams from Europe, six from South America, four from Asia, four from North and Central America the Caribbean and one from Oceania will participate. There will also be one team from the host country. In this case, it’s the US and the club is Inter Miami, (of course) as they won the MLS Supporters Shield this season. This will be a true World Cup-style tournament but with 32 clubs from all over the world. Beginning in 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup will take place every four years.
The draw for the tournament was held on Thursday and here are the results. Big clubs from Europe and South America and other parts of the world as well as MLS clubs will participate. The 2025 Club World Cup consists of past continental cup champions and teams that ranked high in the continental rankings over the past four years. The tournament takes place from June 15 to July 13.
Several cities across the US will host the tournament. Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium will host the opening game between Inter Miami and Al Ahly of Saudi Arabia. The final will be held at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That’s the same venue where the 2026 World Cup Final will occur.
So…why this new Format? What is there to gain? Why should we care?
The Club World Cup consisted of a few teams for years and dragged over weeks and months. In 2023, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the new format. He suggested an expanded Club World Cup back in 2016, originally planned to be held in 2019.
The 2025 Club World Cup will be seen as the prelude to the 2026 World Cup.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men’s club football, and with the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest,” said Infantino during the announcement in June of 2023. “The United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament. With some of the world’s top clubs already qualified, fans from every continent will be bringing their passion and energy to the United States in two years’ time for this significant milestone in our mission to make football truly global.”
One of the reasons why this expanded tournament is happening is money. (Duh!) The new Club World Cup will bring in sponsor and broadcast money for the clubs and FIFA. The host cities will also get increased tourism.
As mentioned the tournament is a prelude to the 2026 World Cup. This is an oppurtunity to grow soccer across the US and showcase the best teams and players. Plus fans of European teams can watch their favourite clubs and players in person.
For years the Club World Cup has not been seen in the same light as other big club competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores. While it is another trophy to add to the collection and teams get to wear a shiny world champions badge for a year if they win it, the tournament lacked prestige. The 2025 edition looks to increase the global profile and gain recognition as a top-tier tournament.
Plus, the Club World Cup lacked competition as teams from Europe and South America have dominated. With 32 teams, other clubs from other parts of the world get to participate and have a chance to lift the trophy.
Speaking of the trophy, there is a new one for 2025 and beyond. Below is the old one and the new one that was unveiled at Thursday’s draw is on the right.
The problems with this new Club World Cup format
While this new format does sound exciting, especially for American soccer fans, there are problems with this.
Fixture congestion is a big one. The Club World Cup will take place after the top European leagues and the Saudi Pro League’s seasons have concluded. Some leagues such as MLS and the J1 League in Japan have a calendar schedule but the Club World Cup will disrupt their participating team’s seasons. For example, the Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami and Urawa Red Diamonds will have to stop playing in their league seasons and participate in the Club World Cup. Once they are done, it’s right back to business. The Vancouver Whitecaps and their fans could see this as a benefit to make up ground on Seattle when the Club World Cup is happening.
For European teams, their seasons begin in early August and they only have a few weeks of preseason and training to prepare.
There are already too many games across the soccer world already. Players have had countless league and cup games to play in as well as international duty. With the amount of games and less recovery time, more injuries are occurring.
A report by British insurance company Howden (via Insurance Business magazine) stated that there have been 4,123 injuries in Europe’s top five leagues (The EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A) in the 2023-24 season. That was a 4% increase from the previous season and a 5% increase in costs reaching €732.02 million. The report stated that the EPL alone recorded 915 injuries with a total cost of €318.8 million. EPL clubs faced an injury every 94 minutes of competitive soccer and that resulted in a cost of €3,698 per minute.
Manchester City star midfielder and current Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been very vocal about fixture congestion. The Spanish midfielder stated that players could go on strike over this.
“If it keeps this way, it will be a moment that we have no other option, but let’s see,” he said per the BBC.
Rodri played 63 games in 2023-24 for Manchester City and Spain winning the Premier League and the Euros. In September of 2024, Rodri injured his ACL and meniscus ruling him out for the rest of 2024-25.
Fifpro (players union) and the World Leagues organization published a letter to Infantino and FIFA in June of 2024 asking to reschedule the 2025 Club World Cup and addressed concerns of fixture congestion.
“Fifa’s recent strategic approach of developing its own competitions – such as the World Cup, the Club World Cup or the Intercontinental Cup – is adversely disrupting the football industry, jeopardizing national leagues and affecting the health and wellbeing of players,” said the letter via The Guardian.
Travel is also an issue. While it is easier for MLS and Liga MX clubs, it will be tough for clubs in Europe and Asia. Travelling across the world and then back soon enough will take a toll.
The summer transfer window will also be affected. Player contracts for many clubs also expire on June 30 and that could affect the squads and the players’ participation in the Club World Cup. It also creates confusion as players could move during the tournament.
However, FIFA announced in October of 2024 that there will be an optional transfer window from June 1 to June 10 for participating Club World Cup teams and the concerned federations. FIFA also will implement a “restricted in-competition” period from June 27 to July 3 “within a set limit and according to specific limitations” for when the clubs could replace players whose contracts are expiring.
Another thing worth mentioning is the CONCACAF Gold Cup takes place around the same time as the Club World Cup but with cities on the West Coast. Players from Canada, the US and other CONCACAF countries will have to choose between representing club or country and federations will have a headache making selections.
So is the Club World Cup worth watching?
It’s tough to say.
On the one hand, there is more soccer to watch. Clubs from all over the world will participate in a global tournament that could be exciting. It is like a real-life EAFC create a tournament mode. Plus, local fans can watch these clubs in person.
But there are concerns regarding fixture congestion, injury risks and the tournament could deeply affect the transfer window and market.
The Club World Cup could be a success or a chaotic mess. There is a huge risk to this.
But at the end of the day, the new Club World Club feels more like another FIFA cash grab than an attempt to grow the game in the US before 2026.
