A Sports Girl’s Guide to the New & Improved FIFA Club World Cup

Courtesy of FIFA

Get your flags and jerseys ready because the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is officially here. After a year off, the FIFA Club World Cup is back. And this time, with an exciting new format that already has fans buzzing. Here’s everything you need to know about the new and improved FIFA Club World Cup. 

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Format

Courtesy of FIFA

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a revamped version of the traditional FIFA Club World Cup and will now be held every four years. This time, the competition expands to 32 top-tier clubs from every corner of the globe, instead of the usual 7-club format. The tournament will feature two stages: a group stage and a knockout stage. In the group stage, there are eight groups, each packed with four clubs vying for dominance. These matches will be played in a single-game round-robin format. Only the top two clubs from each group will advance to the knockout stage. From there, it’s just the knockout rounds, which consist of the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. The knockout stage will be decided in direct single-elimination matches, which is exactly what the name suggests.

Are you excited? You should be, because now you can see more clubs and more action than you could before.

When and Where

Mark your calendars because the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be held from June 14 through July 13, and you can catch all the action on DAZN, TNT, truTV, and TBS. And for the first time ever, the FIFA Club World Cup will take place in the United States. The tournament will be played in 11 cities coast-to-coast, including Orlando, Miami, New Jersey/New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and many others. That’s pretty big if you ask me, and shows how much soccer has grown and continues to attract fans from the US.

The Groups

Courtesy of FIFA

The tournament will feature 4 CAF teams, 4 AFC teams, 12 UEFA teams, 4 Concacaf teams, 1 OFC team, 6 CONMEBOL teams, and 1 team from the host country. This new cup format will surely bring the best of the best. 

Here are the eight groups and their respective clubs:

Group A

SE Palmeiras (BRA)

FC Porto (POR)

Al Ahly FC (EGY)

Inter Miami CF (USA)

Group B

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Atlético de Madrid (ESP)

Botafogo (BRA)

Seattle Sounders FC (USA)

Group C

FC Bayern München (GER)

Auckland City FC (NZL)

CA Boca Juniors (ARG)

SL Benfica (POR)

Group D

CR Flamengo (BRA)

Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN)

Chelsea FC (ENG)

Los Angeles FC (USA)

Group E

CA River Plate (ARG)

Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)

CF Monterrey (MEX)

FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)

Group F

Fluminense FC (BRA)

Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Ulsan HD (KOR)

Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA)

Group G

Manchester City (ENG)

Wydad AC (MAR)

Al Ain FC (UAE)

Juventus FC (ITA)

Group H

Real Madrid C. F. (ESP)

Al Hilal (KSA)

CF Pachuca (MEX)

FC Salzburg (AUT)

Players to Watch

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So who’s in it? Messi, Mbappé, Bellingham, Haaland, Dembélé. Need I say more? Messi is the talk of the town as he’s a crucial part of Inter Miami, the host country’s team. Although Inter Miami is new to the FIFA Club World Cup, they should not be overlooked. I mean, anything can happen when you have the GOAT on your team, right? 

Real Madrid has won the FIFA Club World Cup five times, which is the most any club has ever won, and they are striving to do it again. This seems well within reach, especially with the new addition of Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé is often considered the best player of his generation and has achieved tremendous success throughout his career, including winning a World Cup at just 19 years old. Real Madrid doesn't just have Mbappé, they also have up-and-comer Jude Bellingham, the breakout king of midfield magic. Mbappé and Bellingham are both hungry, young, and have everything it takes to bring another world title to Madrid. 

Now on to Haaland. Erling Haaland is arguably the most lethal striker in the game and has scored over 100 goals in his career. That’s very impressive for someone his age. Manchester City, the defending FIFA Club World Cup champion, is dangerous and has a chance to repeat, especially with Haaland at the helm. 

Don’t forget about Dembélé. Ousmane Dembélé is coming off a great year and is PSG’s star. He led his team to victory and was named the UEFA Champions League MVP. He's also in the running for the Ballon d'Or and has a great chance of winning it. PSG is coming off a sensational win at the UEFA Champions League and is hoping to add another cup to its collection, and with Dembélé, that just might happen.

One thing is clear: the FIFA Club World Cup is bigger, better, and more stacked than ever. There’s so much talent in this year’s tournament, and it truly is anyone’s game. Who do you think will win the FIFA Club World Cup?