Qualified teams, format, venues & how to watch

The FIFA Club World Cup, taking place in 2025, is the newest club competition that will take place in the United States next summer.

The event highlights the ever-growing nature of FIFA, with countries represented from each of the six international confederations: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA.

In December 2022, the FIFA Council approved the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup from its current seven-team tournament to one comprising of 32 teams. Rather than being held every December, the tournament would now be held every four years, taking place in the summer months.

In its current guise, the FIFA Club World Cup features just seven clubs, with the champions from UEFA and CONMEBOL receiving byes into the semi-finals. Manchester City won the 2023 edition after a 4-0 victory over Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense.

FIFA is expanding the tournament to increase interest and global appeal, with more teams taking part from previously neglected African and Asian confederations such as CAF and AFC, which will help to up its popularity and reach.

Club World Cup qualified teams

The qualification format is slightly more complicated compared to the previous editions of the tournament. Previously, a club secured a place in the Club World Cup if they won their federation’s continental championship.

With the expansion to 32 teams from 2025 onwards, there are several spots up for grabs in every international federation aside from OFC, with just one team making it via the ranking pathway.

Four teams from CAF, AFC and CONCACAF will qualify. If a team has won the continental championship more than once in the preceding four years, another team will qualify via the rankings.

Europe will have 12 qualifiers – four via the champions pathway and eight from the ranking pathway, with the latter taking overall performances in the Champions League into account. South America’s CONMEBOL federation has the second-highest number of entries. Six teams – four from the champions pathway and two from the rankings pathway – will qualify for the tournament.

Finally, one club from the host nation will take part, making up the 32 teams to fight it out for the title.

Club World Cup format and draw details

The format of the Club World Cup will be the same format used in the World Cup between 1998 and 2022, with the exception of a third-place play-off.

Eight groups of four teams will compete in a round-robin phase. The top two finishers in each group will secure a place in the round of 16.

From the round of 16 to the final, a direct single-match knockout stage will take place, with there being no third-place playoff. The draw for the group stage will take place in December 2024.

Club World Cup host and venues

The United States was announced as the host nation in June 2023, with the tournament being held between 15th June and 13th July, during the traditional off-season for many countries.

12 venues will host 63 matches during the tournament. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New York, New Jersey. A full list of the venues can be seen in the table below.

Tournament controversy

While the event will give opportunities to teams who may never have had the chance to participate in the previous version of the tournament, the expansion has also garnered plenty of controversy.

One such complaint is the fact the event adds even more matches to the global footballing calendar than ever before. The recent expansion of the UEFA Champions League means the top teams are playing more continental fixtures compared to years gone by.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) says that the expansion is placing more stress on professionals as they are being pushed too hard.

Even the players are concerned over the way the game is going. “We have too many games, and it’s putting our careers and health at risk,” said Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in September, a week before the Spaniard tore his ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

The midfielder played a staggering 50 games for Manchester City last term before featuring six times for his country as they won Euro 2024. Rodri would have only taken a couple of weeks off before going again in August, heightening his chances of injury.

Another controversy surrounds the broadcast deals for the tournament. FIFA is yet to secure any media deals for the competition with less than 12 months until it begins, although the $4bn (£3.1bn) target set by the governing body appears to have put the majority of potential broadcasters off.

Apple had reportedly made a $1bn deal for the global rights, according to The Athletic. However, FIFA reverted to a traditional media rights sale.

Club World Cup 2029

The 2029 edition will be the second event to feature 32 teams, which will feature the winners of the four previous continental championships.

In terms of hosting, Australia and New Zealand are preparing a joint bid to host the 2029 tournament.

Furthermore, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco – who are all hosting the 2030 World Cup – are looking at a bid for the second edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in order to prepare for the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.