Club World Cup: What to expect from FIFA's revamped tournament

The FIFA Club World Cup has been given a revamp, with the new format promising an enticing contest among some of the world's best in 2025.

The competition, which first started in 2000 and has grown in size and stature since then, will contain 32 teams from across six football federations in the United States for the first time.

The old version featured just seven teams and ran every year, but the new edition offers a design similar to an international tournament and will run every four years.

The Club World Cup begins on June 14 in Miami before concluding on July 13 in New Jersey, where one team will scoop up the $1billion prize on offer from FIFA.

How does it work?

The 32 teams from the six football federations – AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA – will be split into eight groups of four.

The top two from each will then progress to the last 16, and from there, it is a straight knockout to the final.

The qualification criteria took note of the past four seasons of the confederation's premier club competition, like the Champions League or the Copa Libertadores.

There is a two-club limit per country, unless all entrants were continental champions, which is why Brazil pose a quadruple threat. That means the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, and Napoli, who all won their respective league titles in 2024-25, are missing.

Who is competing?

UEFA has the most representatives, boasting 12. The winners of the UEFA Champions League in that period – Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid, who are also six-time Club World Cup winners – with the rest being decided by UEFA's four-year ranking.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, the 2025 Champions League winners of the tournament, Borussia Dortmund and Inter round out the top seven teams in the list, with Atletico Madrid and Juventus sitting much further down.

And it is through that ranking that the likes of Porto, Benfica and Salzburg have made the cut.

CONMEBOL follow with six. Brazil dominate the federation, with Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo and Palmeiras all qualifying, while Argentinian sides River Plate and Boca Juniors join them.

AFC, led by the star-studded Al-Hilal (2021 AFC Champions League winners), and CAF have four each. Al Ahly, who won the CAF Champions League in 2021, 2022 and 2024, will kick off the tournament against Inter Miami in the opening fixture on June 14.

Concacaf would normally also have four entrants, but they were given an extra slot due to hosting duties, with Miami, the MLS Supporters' Shield winners, acting as the 'host' city.

Leon were disqualified from the tournament by FIFA, with Los Angeles FC rounding off the group of three MLS teams, including Seattle Sounders, competing on home soil, after they beat Club America 2-1 in a qualification play-off.

The OFC, meanwhile, have just one spot, with Auckland City their sole representative.

The players on show

There will be no shortage of stars on show in the USA during the next month, with clubs across the tournament already scrambling to complete transfers and coaching changes before it begins.

No matter what, Lionel Messi will prove the biggest draw as he aims to help Miami add to their trophy collection - he won the Club World Cup three times with Barcelona before, as did team-mate Sergio Busquets, while Luis Suarez triumphed just once.

His great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, the all-time top scorer in the Club World Cup, will not be present. His two-and-a-half-year deal with Al-Nassr expired, but he confirmed he will not be playing, despite receiving offers.

There will still be superstars on show, though, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, while there should be goals aplenty with Man City's Erling Haaland, Bayern's Harry Kane, and Boca's Edinson Cavani involved.

PSG will also be bringing Ousmane Dembele, a star performer throughout the club's treble-winning campaign, while Champions League final Player of the Match, Desire Doue, is sure to light up the stage once more.

The likes of Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, Lautaro Martinez, Serhou Guirassy and Cole Palmer will also be on show for the UEFA contingent.

Salem Al Dawsari, who has been involved in the joint-most goals since the 2019 edition of the tournament, will provide the attacking flair for Al-Hilal.

Hussein El Shahat made the most appearances in the previous format of the competition and will be looking to add to that total for Al Ahly.

For the Brazilian sides, it is a mixture of youth and experience that will draw the eye. Fluminense are captained by 40-year-old Thiago Silva, who won the Club World Cup while at Chelsea.

And there is another link to the Blues, as wonderkid Estevao will be playing for Palmeiras for the last time before joining Chelsea following the conclusion of the tournament.

Where will they be playing?

The Club World Cup will be played across 12 stadiums, five of which will also be playing host to next year's World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

These are MetLife Stadium (New Jersey), Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle) and Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens).

The final will be played at MetLife Stadium, which will be the most-used stadium across the tournament.

It is scheduled to host nine matches altogether, including both semi-finals – the first match there will see Palmeiras take on Porto on June 15.

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will raise the curtain on the tournament when it plays host to Al Ahly and Miami, serving as the venue for two of the Herons' group games (also against Pameiras).

The majority of the action will be in the East, with Charlotte, Cincinnati, Nashville, Washington and Orlando (two stadiums) also among the host cities.

Only two West Coast cities will be involved, with Los Angeles also taking part, along with Seattle.