FIFA has ratified the 12 stadiums that will host the 2025 Club World in the United States, the first of a new expanded 32-team tournament. The competition will run from 15 June to 13 July 2025 across the US, with the finals holding at the New Jersey-based MetLife Stadium.
The other venues include Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atalanta, TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Geodis Park, Miami, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Lumen Field, Seattle, Audi Field, Washington DC.
32 Top-Flight Teams to Slug It Out in New-Look 2025 Club World
Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea have automatically booked a spot in Europe as the Champions League's most recent winners in the last four-year cycle. Thanks to their high coefficient rankings, top European teams like Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Inter Milan, Benfica, and Porto have also qualified for the event.
Six teams from South America and 12 teams from Asia, Africa, and North America will also join participants at the world's biggest club competition. A team from the host nation will feature in the tournament while Oceania will also field a representative at the contest.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York, while simultaneously announcing FIFA's new four-year partnership with Global Citizen to mobilize football fans globally to help halt extreme poverty and provide access to education for millions of children. He remarks, "Football is the most popular sport on the planet, and in 2025 a new era for club football will kick off when FIFA stages the greatest, most inclusive and merit-based global competition right here in the United States."
The event, which had previously been held annually in the middle of the football season, included six teams from seven worldwide confederations. However, 2025 will witness an overtly expanded format – a development that hasn't quite gone well with many clubs and players.
Complaints Trail New Format of 32-Team Club World Cup Format
FIFA's latest decision to expand the tournament has attracted widespread criticism from players and clubs, especially after UEFA added two matches each to the Champions League and Europa League group stages. Global players' union Fifpro and the European Leagues body submitted a joint complaint to the European Commission to protest FIFA's decision.
The footballers' union, which embodies 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs in 33 countries, termed FIFA's actions an "abuse of dominance," seeking respite on the new format. Meanwhile, FIFA had earlier rejected a claim two months earlier that it didn't consult the Fifpro and the World Leagues Association over its intentions to expand the Club World Cup.
Manchester City midfielder and Balon D’or favorite Rodri, who will miss the rest of the season after a ligament injury, warned earlier this month that players were close to striking, because of the congested fixture list. The tournament will be played approximately a year before the MetLife Stadium will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, an event that's already sparking exciting debates and discussions around the future of football.
Final Notes
FIFA has ratified 12 US stadiums ahead of the 2025 Club World Cup. The newly expanded event, which has survived criticisms from footballers and teams globally, will be held about one year before the 2026 World Cup in the United States between 15 June and 13 July 2025.