FIFA Innovation
The idea of holding a completely new version of the Club World Cup has been nurtured by FIFA for a long time, right after the organization canceled the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in 2017.
After much effort, FIFA has officially introduced the new version of Club World Cup into football life. (Photo: FIFA).
The tournament was supposed to take place in China in 2021, but that plan was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was not until 2025 that the completely changed version of the FIFA Club World Cup officially came into reality, with the first organization in the US this summer. The tournament will be expanded to 32 participating teams instead of 7 teams like the tournaments from 2005 to 2023.
This event was initially opposed by many clubs because the players would have to compete more, exerting more effort for an official tournament at a time when they should have had a summer break. In addition, information from the US said that FIFA had a lot of difficulty finding sponsors for the tournament, something that was rare in tournaments hosted by FIFA before.
However, in the end, FIFA still resolved everything and the tournament will still take place in June 2025, becoming the biggest football tournament in the world in 2025.
FIFA insists the tournament will promote a fairer distribution of finances and presence for clubs outside Europe, but there is a counter-argument that the quality gap will soon emerge, with teams like Auckland City (New Zealand) facing the prestigious Bayern Munich.
While concerns about player fitness are a point of contention, the financial rewards of hundreds of millions of dollars can convince most club owners. To put that into perspective, Champions League winners Real Madrid pocketed $131 million last season, a figure that could rise dramatically thanks to payments from the FIFA Club World Cup.
Number of participating clubs and competition format
This year's tournament will feature 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. The teams will compete in a round robin to select the top 2 teams from each group to advance to the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals. The format of the tournament will be similar to the old World Cup held from 1998 to 2022 (except there will be no third-place match).
The top 12 European teams, including Real Madrid and Man City, will represent UEFA. CONMEBOL's slots will include six South American teams, while Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF) and North & Central America (CONCACAF) each have four clubs, while Oceania (OFC) will be given one slot and the final spot will go to the United States as hosts.
Specific groups of the Club World Cup 2025. (Photo: Getty).
With places based on recent achievements rather than long-standing tradition, past winners such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona will be left out, while FC Salzburg will represent Austria among Europe's top teams.
According to the draw results, superstar Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will participate in the opening match of the tournament, against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium, scheduled for June 15, 2025. These teams will join Palmeiras and Porto in Group A.
Meanwhile, there are some interesting match-ups in other groups as some of Europe's biggest names go head-to-head. PSG and Atletico Madrid will meet in the standout match in Group B. The two European sides are in the same group as South American champions Botafogo and MLS side Seattle Sounders.
Man City will be in Group G and face a famous Juventus. Besides Juventus, Man City will also face the teams Wydad AC of Morocco and Al Ain of UAE in the group stage.
Serie A champions Inter Milan face River Plate, Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds in Group E. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund face Fluminense, Ulsan Hyundai and Mamelodi Sundowns in Group F.
European champions Real Madrid could face old foe Neymar when they are drawn against Al Hilal in Group H. Both teams will face Mexico's Pachuca and Austria's Salzburg. Group C features Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors and Benfica. Group D features four clubs - Flamengo, Chelsea, Leon and Esperance.
Competition venue
There will be 11 venues used to host 63 matches of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across the United States. The opening match will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New York.
Hard Rock Stadium is the venue for the opening ceremony. (Photo: Getty).
The stadiums chosen are primarily located in the eastern United States, with the western cluster being reserved for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the national team tournament for North, Central America and the Caribbean. Of the venues used, the largest is the Rose Bowl in California (88,500 seats), the smallest is Audi Field in Washington DC (20,000 seats).
Championship Cup
The shape of the new FIFA Club World Cup trophy was unveiled by FIFA in November 2024. The new trophy was designed by FIFA in collaboration with global jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. The trophy will be awarded to the winning team in the final match at MetLife Stadium – New York, New Jersey.
Special transfer rules
The FIFA Council has given member associations the option to open a special transfer window from June 1 to 10. The move opens the door for players whose contracts expire on June 30 but have decided not to renew them to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams that have qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
There will be special rules for players whose contracts expire on June 30 who are included in the 2025 Club World Cup squad. (Photo: Getty)
FIFA has also set a deadline of June 27 to July 3 for a team to change its squad for the tournament, allowing new names to replace players whose contracts expire without being renewed. However, the temporary rule prohibits players from representing two different teams during the tournament.
This temporary rule also allows clubs and players participating in the FIFA Club World Cup who have not yet officially confirmed their departure, or players whose contracts are about to expire and have not yet reached an agreement with a new team, to sign a two-week extension until the end of the tournament.
Impact of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
With FIFA creating a new version of the FIFA Club World Cup that brings together teams from five continents, the tournament is no longer just a playground for continental champions.
However, FIFA will still maintain a separate tournament to motivate the champions. That is also the reason why the FIFA Intercontinental Cup - reserved for the champions of the 6 FIFA continental football confederations - was born. The FIFA Club World Cup will take place every 4 years while the FIFA Intercontinental Cup will take place annually. In the first FIFA Intercontinental Cup held in the new format, Real Madrid easily won the championship after defeating Pachuca 3-0 in the final.
As the challenges of FIFA’s plans to stage a 32-team Club World Cup continue to mount, anticipation and curiosity continue to mount. The commercialisation of the tournament is understandable. However, its potential impact on world football remains a big question mark and only time will tell.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nhung-dieu-can-biet-ve-giai-dau-bong-da-lon-nhat-the-gioi-nam-2025-ar923309.html
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