FIFA Club World Cup 25: Everything you need to know in our Ultimate Guide | OneFootball

Club World Cup

Everything you need to know about FIFA Club World Cup 25

If you thought that PSG's stunning 5-0 win in the Champions League final brought an end to the club football season then think again. Up next we have the revamped 32-team Club World Cup and Mike Norman is here to tell you everything you need to know in his Ultimate Guide...

What is FIFA Club World Cup 25?

FIFA Club World Cup 25 - the official name for this year's tournament - is FIFA's revamped version of the Club World Cup.

First staged in 2000 as the FIFA World Club Championship, the tournament started as an eight-club competition made up of winners of continental club competitions, most notably the UEFA Champions League, the AFC Asian Super Cup and the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.

The tournament was held annually from 2005 (usually with seven clubs) and was regularly won by the previous season's Champions League winners. Of the 20 tournaments played to date, 16 have been won by UEFA Champions League representatives with the other four being won by CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores representatives.

The new expanded 32-team tournament was announced in March 2019 and was originally due to take place in China in 2021, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic it was agreed that the tournament would carry on as it had been since its creation. In 2023 it was announced that the new expanded 32-team tournament would commence in 2025 and would be hosted in the United States.

When is it and how can I watch?

The tournament officially commences on Saturday 14 June with the opening game kicking off at 8pm EDT (Eastern Time Zone). However, because BST (British Summer Time) is five hours behind EDT the first game will kick-off at 1am on Sunday 15 June for UK viewers.

The knockout stage of the tournament commences on Saturday 28 June with the final kicking off at 3pm EDT (8pm for UK viewers) on Sunday 13 July.

UK streaming platform DAZN - a subscription paid service - acquired global rights for FIFA World Club Cup 25 and will show every game to subscribers, though free-to-air Channel 5 will show 23 games live, expected to be those featuring Chelsea and Manchester City plus other major European teams, as well as most games in the latter stages of the tournament.

What is the new format?

For football fans, the format for FIFA World Club Cup 25 will be extremely familiar. It's basically the same format used for a 32-nation FIFA World Cup with the exception of a third-place play-off.

This means that the 32 clubs will be divided into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group qualifying for the knockout stage starting with a Round of 16 before the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final.

The 32 clubs will be made up of 12 qualifying from UEFA, six from CONMEBOL, four each from AFC, CAF and CONCACAF, one from OFC, and one from the host nation. Inter Miami CF - famously owned by David Beckham - was chosen to represent the host nation.

Who are the 32 clubs taking part?

Los Angeles FC scored an 89th minute equaliser before beating Club America 2-1 in extra time on 31 May to become the 32nd and final team to qualify for FIFA World Club Cup 25. The 32 teams are listed below:

- UEFA:  Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris SG, Porto, Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg

- CONMEBOL:  Boca Juniors, Botafogo FR, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, River Plate

- AFC:  Al Ain, Al-Hilal, Ulsan Hyundai, Urawa Red Diamonds

- CAF:  Al Ahly, Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Athletic Club

- CONCACAF:  Los Angeles FC, Monterrey, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders FC

- OFC:  Auckland City

- Host Nation:  Inter Miami CF

Is there any prize money on offer?

There's just the small matter of $1 billion US dollars on offer for the 32 clubs taking part in this year's Club World Cup, with every club guaranteed a share of the prize fund thanks to the $525 million set aside for the participation pool.

The remaining $475 million will be awarded to clubs based on performance during the tournament as set out below;

It is estimated that the tournament winner, on the basis that they win at least two group games, will take home prize money of around $125 million.

Where are the games taking place?

A total of 12 venues across 11 cities in the United States will be used for this year's FIFA Club World Cup 25 with the 82,500 capacity MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New York hosting the final.

Who do the English teams play?

Chelsea and Manchester City will represent England in this year's Club World Cup, and as the eight groups have already been drawn we know who, when and where each team will play.

Chelsea - Group D

- v Los Angeles FC, 8pm BST, Monday 16 June, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

- v Flamengo, 7pm BST, Friday 20 June, Lincoln Financial Field

- v Esperance de Tunis, 2am BST, Wednesday 25 June, Lincoln Financial Field

Manchester City - Group G

- v Wydad FC, 5pm BST, Wednesday 18 June, Lincoln Financial Field

- v Al Ain, 2am BST, Monday 23 June, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

- v Juventus, 8pm BST, Thursday 26 June, Camping World Stadium

Potential route to final for Blues and City

Just like a FIFA World Cup, the Group Stage and bracket for the knockout round are known well in advance of the tournament starting, meaning we know who the potential opponents will be for both Chelsea and Man City should they reach the knockout stage.

Should Chelsea win Group D they will play the runners-up in Group C, which looks set to be an extremely tricky game considering that opponent is highly likely to be Bayern Munich or Benfica.

Should Man City win Group G they will play the runners-up in Group H, which should be a relatively easy opponent given that Real Madrid should win Group H, leaving Al-Hilal, Pachuca or Red Bull Salzburg as City's potential Round of 16 opponents.

With Juventus also in Man City's group, topping Group G won't be easy for Pep Guardiola's men but they will see it as imperative to do so given that if they finish runner-up then they will play the winner of Group H, very likely to be tournament favourites Real Madrid.

Potential route to final for Chelsea:

*based on Chelsea winning Group D and other teams performing to betting order

- Round of 16:  Benfica

- Quarter-Final:  Paris SG

- Semi-Final:  Real Madrid

- Final:  Bayern Munich

Potential route to final for Man City:

*based on Man City winning Group G and other teams performing to betting order

- Round of 16:  Al-Hilal

- Quarter-Final:  Inter Milan

- Semi-Final:  Bayern Munich

- Final:  Real Madrid

Are there any betting odds?

Yes, Betfair has a wide rang of betting odds both on the Exchange and on the Sportsbook, including popular markets like Tournament Winner, Group Winner and To Reach the Final.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Real Madrid are favourites, have they won it before?

Yes, Spanish giants, and 7/2 tournament favourites, Real Madrid have won the Club World Cup previously.  In fact they are the most successful club in the tournament's brief history having won it five times in total, all five wins coming since 2014.

Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich are the second most successful club participating at this year's tournament having won the Club World Cup in 2013 and 2020.

*only clubs participating at this year's tournament listed below

Is there any recent form to go on?

Yes, and especially so for the main contenders who all come from the UEFA confederation, meaning their football seasons have just concluded and league titles, domestic cups and European trophies have all been dished out.

Below is a brief form guide - with a five star form rating - to FIFA Club World Cup 25's most fancied teams and a few selected others.

Real Madrid 7/2 - ⭐⭐

For most other clubs, winning a trophy and finishing as runners-up three times in a season would be described as hugely successful, but for Real Madrid it is likely viewed as the complete opposite.

They only had to win one game this season to lift the European Super Cup, and for the rest of the season they lived in arch rivals Barcelona's shadow, losing to them in two domestic cup competitions and finishing behind them in La Liga. A 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal in the Champions League won't have done their confidence any good either.

Manchester City 9/2 - ⭐

Like Real Madrid, winning trophies is now expected of Manchester City so to effectively win nothing this season - does a penalty shoot-out win over Man United really count as winning silverware? - means it's been a very poor campaign by their usual high standards.

But unlike Real Madrid, Man City were rarely at the races this season. They were well off the pace in the Premier League, lost heavily to Real Madrid before we even got to the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League, and lost early in the League Cup to Tottenham. Losing to underdogs Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final put the seal on a very poor campaign for the Citizens.

Paris SG 6/1 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PSG have enjoyed their most successful season in the club's history, winning all four trophies they competed for, including the Ligue 1 title by a huge margin, a comprehensive 3-0 win over Reims in the French Cup final and a quite brilliant 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final. The are by some distance the form horse going into this month's Club World Cup.

Bayern Munich 7/1 - ⭐⭐⭐

Bayern Munich regained their Bundesliga crown in comfortable fashion, finishing 13 points clear of their nearest rivals, but an early exit in the German Cup was followed by a disappointing exit in the quarter finals of the Champions League, meaning it's been no more than an average season for the German champions.

Chelsea 10/1 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In terms of success it's been a pretty decent season for Chelsea. Their main target was to qualify for next season's Champions League, which they did courtesy of finishing fourth in the Premier League. They'll have been disappointed to suffer early exits in both domestic cup competitions but by winning the Europa Conference League recently they'll go to the United States happy with how their season went and full of confidence.

Inter Milan 1/1 - ⭐⭐⭐

It's hard to gauge Inter Milan's season simply because there's always three or four clubs in Italy that can challenge for silverware, so on the basis that Inter finished runner-up in two domestic competitions and reached the semi-final in another means they probably performed as well as expected.

On the other hand, Inter lost in both cup competitions to city rivals AC Milan, they lost out on winning the Seria A title by a single point, and they were then hammered in the Champions League final. They went deep in all four competitions, but the heartbreak of losing them all surely means they go to the Club World Cup in a somewhat sombre mood.

Atletico Madrid 12/1 - ⭐⭐⭐

Atletico Madrid are regarded as the third best team in Spain, and that's exactly where they finished in La Liga, so on that basis they done as well as can be expected. They lost in heartbreaking fashion in two cup competitions however, by a single goal to Barcelona in the Spanish Cup and in a penalty shoot-out to Real Madrid in the Champions League. But at least they know they can go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in Europe, and that's not a bad feeling to have going into a Club World Cup.

Flamengo 28/1 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flamengo are currently the top performing team in Brazil, sitting top of Serie A Betano after 11 games of the season having conceded just four goals. They're progressing as expected in the Brazil Cup and they're joint top (second only on goal difference) in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. They have one more league game to play before the Club World Cup, win that - as they should - and they'll arrive in the United States in fine form and fully match fit.

River Plate 33/1 - ⭐⭐⭐

River Plate are widely regarded as the best team in Argentina but they could only reach the quarter finals of their domestic league. They finished runner-up in Group B, losing just one of 16 matches, before losing on penalties to Platense in the play-off quarter final. They are top of their Copa Libertadores group and they're through to the last 16 of the Copa Argentina, so they're having a decent season, and they'll go to the Club World Cup knowing they've lost just one game in regulation time (24 games played) so far this campaign in the big competitions.

Inter Miami CF 50/1 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Inter Miami, famously owned by David Beckham with superstar Lionel Messi in their ranks, were a controversial host nation pick for FIFA Club World Cup 25, but they'll arrive at the tournament in confident mood.

They currently sit third in the MLS Eastern Conference with a game in hand on the two teams above them, and they performed extremely well to reach the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. They've just won back-to-back games in the MLS, scoring nine goals in total, and of those nine goals scored, Messi had a hand in eight of them, scoring four and assisting four.