| Posted: 2025-06-12
The inaugural 32-team Fifa Club World Cup starts this weekend and nobody knows quite what to expect. A low-profile annual seven-team format is being replaced by a 32-team contest every four years. The two English clubs involved are Chelsea and Manchester City, based on their performances in the Champions League over the past four seasons. Real Madrid’s chances of winning have been probably been boosted by the signing of Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool. A deal worth £10 million was agreed for Alexander-Arnold to move early for the tournament before his contract expires at Anfield. Lionel Messi will feature with Inter Miami, and there is an outside chance that his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo could also play in the tournament. Ronaldo’s future at Saudi Pro-League side Al-Nassr, who have not qualified, is increasingly uncertain raising the possibility of signing up for a team represented in the Club World Cup. Dates: When is the 2025 Club World Cup?The 2025 tournament starts on Sunday, June 14, with a match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly. The final is a month later, on July 13. How can I watch the Club World Cup?For viewers in the UK, all games are free to air. Twenty-three of the 63 matches will be shown on Channel 5, as part of a tie-up with the main broadcasters, DAZN. The remaining 40 matches will be exclusively on DAZN. However, DAZN will be waiving its usual subscription fees for the tournament, albeit you still need to sign up for an account. Highlights of all games will also be available on the Channel 5 Youtube channel. The original $1bn broadcasting deal with DAZN raised eyebrows when it was announced in December. It was understood that, prior to that deal being announced, Fifa had been struggling to find a broadcaster. It also seemed unusual because DAZN made a £1bn loss according to its accounts for 2022. Teams and groupsManchester City, the defending champions, will play against Morocco’s Wydad, Al Ain of the UAE and Juventus from Serie A. Chelsea have got Esperance Sportive de Tunisie and Flamengo of Brazil. Club Leon of Mexico were due to be in the same group as Chelsea but have been removed as they failed to meet criteria on multi-club ownership. Los Angeles FC have replaced them after beating Club America on Mexico in a play-off. Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami What is the format?The competition shares the same format as the men’s and women’s World Cup competitions. The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four, who will play each other in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will then go through to the knockout stages. The final will take place on July 13, but unlike the World Cups, there will be no third-place play-off. Fixtures* = shown on Channel 5. All other fixtures shown on DAZN. Group stageSaturday, June 14*Group A: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 1am UK time (Sunday June 15) Sunday, June 15*Group C: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 5pm Monday, June 16*Group D: Chelsea vs Club Los Angeles FC - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 8pm Tuesday, June 17*Group F: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 5pm Wednesday, June 18*Group G: Man City vs Wydad AC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm Thursday, June 19Group A: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 5pm Friday, June 20Group C: Benfica vs Auckland City - Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando; kick off 5pm Saturday, June 21Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 5pm Sunday, June 22*Group G: Juventus vs Wydad AC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm Monday, June 23Group B: Seattle Sounders vs PSG - Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 5pm Tuesday, June 24*Group C: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors - GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 7pm Wednesday, June 25*Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 8pm Thursday, June 26Group G: Juventus vs Man City - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm Knockout stage – round of 16Saturday, June 28Match 49: Group A winners vs Group B runners-up - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia;kick off 5pm Sunday, June 29*Match 51: Group B winners vs Group A runners-up - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm Monday, June 30*Match 53: Group E winners vs Group F runners-up - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm Tuesday, July 1Match 55: Group H winners vs Group G runners-up - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm Quarter-final fixturesFriday, July 4*Match 57: Winner match 53 vs Winner match 54 - Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm Saturday, July 5*Match 59: Winner match 51 vs Winner match 52 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm Semi-final fixturesTuesday, July 8Match 61: Winner match 57 vs Winner match 58 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Wednesday, July 9*Match 62: Winner match 59 vs Winner match 60 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Club World Cup FinalSunday, July 13*Match 63: Winner match 61 vs Winner match 62 - MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm Prize moneyManchester City or Chelsea could claim almost £100 million in prize money if they win the Club World Cup. The winners of the 32-team event will take home up to $125m, equivalent to £96.8 million at current exchange rates. Teams will share $525 million (£406.7 million) in participation fees, but this pot will not be distributed evenly. The appearance fees going to Europe’s 12 clubs will be on a sliding scale from $38.19 million (£29.6 million) at the top end to $12.81 million (£9.9 million) at the bottom, determined by a ranking based on “sporting and commercial criteria”. Where is the tournament being held?It is being held in the US. Twelve venues will be used across the country, with the final to be staged at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The other venues are Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle) and Audi Field (Washington). Why are Chelsea in the Club World Cup?The tournament features clubs from each of the six international confederations and there were 12 places available for European clubs, decided by Champions League performances over the past four seasons. As a result, recent European Cup winners Chelsea (2021) and Manchester City (2023) qualified. Only two clubs per country can qualify, meaning 2022 Champions League finalists Liverpool were not included. One spot in the tournament was reserved for a team from the host nation, which enabled Fifa to shoehorn Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami into the draw. Is the tournament controversial?In short, yes. The involvement of 32 teams has added even more games and, in the process, cut rest time for the world’s top players. This has attracted criticism and led to the threat of strike action by some players. In June, Fifpro, the global footballers’ union, took legal action against Fifa over player burnout at the expanded Club World Cup. There is also the issue that a lot of players’ contracts will run out in the middle of the tournament. Past winners2000: Corinthians – Beat Vasco de Gama (0-0, won on penalties) |
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