Football: Everything You Need to Know About the Club World Cup Format
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Starting with the 2025 edition, the Club World Cup it will now take place every four years (instead of every year) and sees its participating teams increased to 32 from the original 6-7. The thinking behind the changes is likely with the goal of elevating its status in the world of football by making it a more exclusive and thus a more coveted trophy.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup format
The 2025 Club World Cup follows a typical knockout cup competition structure, similar to that of previous editions of the FIFA World Cup. There are eight groups of four teams each, with each team playing each other once. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage. It's single elimination from the round of 16 on and there is no match to determine third place.
Qualifying teams must have either won a continental cup competition (UEFA, CAF, AFC, OFC Concacaf Champions League + Copa Libertadores) within the last four seasons or by having a high enough ranking in the aforementioned tournaments over that same time period.
UEFA received 12 slots, CONMEBOL six, CAF, AFC and Concacaf each received four, while Oceania (OFC) received one. The final slot went to the host nation's MLS Supporters' Shield champions, Inter Miami. Below is the full group stage draw:
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Palmeiras (Brazil) FC Porto (Portugal) Al Ahly (Egypt) Inter Miami (USA) |
| Group B | PSG (France) Atletico Madrid (Spain) Botafogo (Brazil) Seattle Sounders (USA) |
| Group C | Bayern Munich (Germany) Auckland City (New Zealand) Boca Juniors (Argentina) Benfica (Portugal) |
| Group D | Flamengo (Brazil) ES Tunis (Tunisia) Chelsea (England) LAFC (USA) / Club America (Mexico)* |
| Group E | River Plate (Argentina) Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) Monterrey (Mexico) Inter Milan (Italy) |
| Group F | Fluminense (Brazil) Borussia Dortmund (Germany) Ulsan HD (Japan) Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) |
| Group G | Manchester City (England) Wyad AC (Morocco) Al Ain (UAE) Juventus (Italy) |
| Group H | Real Madrid (Spain) Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) Pachuca (Mexico) RB Salzburg (Austria) |
* LAFC vs Club America will have a play-in match with the winner taking over the spot vacated by Liga MX side Leon
Interestingly, a special rule passed down by FIFA states that clubs must name their strongest starting 11. They even went so far as to ensure a special transfer window (June 1st to June 10th), which is between two weeks to one month earlier than the standard window opening date for most UEFA teams. This means that players such as Dean Huijsen, who was recently signed by Real Madrid from Bournemouth, will be eligible to take part in the tournament.
Cities and venues
The 2025 Club World Cup will be hosted throughout 12 stadiums in 11 cities. Here’s the breakdown of the stadiums:
- 4 dedicated MLS stadiums: natural grass playing surfaces
- 7 NFL or NFL/MLS hybrid stadiums: 2 natural grass surfaces, 5 artificial turf
- 1 NCAA football stadium: natural grass surface
The host cities are as follows:
Los Angeles, NY/NJ, Charlotte, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, Miami, Orlando, Nashville, Cincinnati, Washington DC
Notable stadiums:
Rose Bowl: One of the world’s most iconic stadiums, the Rose Bowl is the largest venue in the 2025 Club World Cup at a capacity of 88,500. Primarily known as a college football stadium, the Rose Bowl has also hosted the recent ‘El Trafico’ derby matches between LAFC and LA Galaxy.
MetLife Stadium: Home to the NFL franchises NY Jets and NY Giants, the synthetic turf MetLife stadium will be the venue of the Club World Cup final. This will also be the location of the 2026 World Cup final, so this will be a good test run for the venue.
Hard Rock Stadium: The 65,000 capacity Miami based stadium will host the opening match of the 2025 Club World Cup. It’s one of the few NFL stadiums that uses a natural grass playing service and is also a 2026 World Cup venue.
Geodis Park: Geodis Park is home to Nashville SC and is one of the four dedicated MLS stadiums on this list. It’s also the newest of the 12 venues used in the Club World Cup after being opened in 2022. Geodis Park uses a real grass playing surface and has a max capacity of 30,000
