The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 explained

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is an expanded version of the FIFA Club World Cup that has previously pitted the champions of the six global football confederations (e.g. UEFA, CONMEBOL etc.) against each other on an annual basis, with a guest team from the host nation completing the line-up.

The 2025 tournament will be different as it will feature 32 teams representing each of the six global confederations. It will be held every four years, with the first being played in the United States in 2025.

There was a four-year qualifying period leading up to the tournament and teams claimed a place in the competition in one of two ways:

1. The champions pathway: winning their confederation's premier club competition during the qualifying period (e.g. UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, CAF Champions League etc.) 
2. The ranking pathway: based on a club's performance in their confederation's premier club competition across the whole qualifying period. For the 2025 competition, FIFA's ranking system was used for all continents except Europe where UEFA's long-standing club coefficient system is in place.

Africa (4): Three via champions pathway (CAF Champions League) and one via ranking pathway

Asia (4): Three via champions pathway (AFC Champions League) and one via ranking pathway

Europe (12): Four via champions pathway (UEFA Champions League) and eight via ranking pathway

North & Central America (4): Three via champions pathway and one via play-off

Oceania (1): Via ranking pathway

South America (6): Four via champions pathway (CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores) and two via ranking pathway

Host country (1): Via invitation

Exceptions

• If one club wins more than one continental title in the qualifying period, an additional ranking pathway place for that confederation opens up
• There is a maximum of two clubs per country UNLESS more than two clubs from the same country win the continental title, e.g. if Bayern, Dortmund and RB Leipzig had all won the UEFA Champions League during the qualifying period, they would all have clinched places at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Bayern and Dortmund both qualified via the ranking pathway. Their UEFA Champions League performances in the qualifying period (2021-2024) left them in third and sixth place respectively in the UEFA coefficient system. It means they are the first (Bayern) and third-highest (BVB) ranked qualifiers via the ranking pathway.

bold type indicates continental champions & title-winning season

Africa: Al Ahly (EGY, 2020/21, 2022/23 & 2023/24), Espérance de Tunis (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA), Wydad Casablanca (MOR, 2021/22)

Asia: Al Ain (UAE, 2023/24), Al Hilal (KSA, 2021), Ulsan HD (KOR), Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN, 2022)

Europe: Atlético Madrid (ESP), Bayern Munich (GER), Benfica (POR), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Chelsea (ENG, 2020/21), Juventus (ITA), Inter Milan (ITA), Manchester City (ENG, 2022/23), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), FC Porto (POR), Real Madrid (ESP, 2021/22 & 2023/24), RB Salzburg (AUT)

North and Central America: Los Angeles FC (USA)*, Monterrey (MEX, 2021), Pachuca (MEX, 2024), Seattle Sounders (USA, 2022)

Oceania: Auckland City FC

South America: Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA, 2024), Flamengo (BRA, 2022), Fluminense (BRA, 2023), Palmeiras (BRA, 2021), River Plate (ARG)

Host country: Inter Miami (USA)

*As they have the same owner as Pachuca, Club Léon, who had initially qualified via the champions pathway by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup, were disqualified from the tournament despite a formal appeal from the club. Their replacement was determined through a play-off match between Los Angeles FC (runners-up to Club León in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup) and Club América (top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking at the conclusion of the 2024 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the last season taken into account for clubs to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025).

Twelve venues across the US will host the tournament's 63 matches. The final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New York, New Jersey on 13 July 2025 and the opening match at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on 15 June. Five of the stadiums are among the 11 US-based venues for the FIFA World Cup 2026 that will be co-hosted with Canada and Mexico.

• Group stage: Eight groups of four teams in a single-game round-robin format.
• The top two teams in each group progress to the Round of 16.
• Straight knockout matches from Round of 16 to the final.
• No 3rd-place play-off

Who will Bayern and Dortmund play in the group stage?

Bayern will kick off their Group C campaign on 15 June against Auckland City at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. On 21 June, they face Boca Juniors in a mouth-watering match-up at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, before playing Benfica at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte three days later.

Meanwhile, Dortmund start off their tilt at the title against Fluminense in Group F at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on 17 June. They will follow up with a clash against Mamelodi Sundowns on June 21 at TQL Stadium prior to a meeting with Ulsan HD at the same venue on June 25.

Here are the eight groups in full:

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica

Group D: Flamengo, Espérance de Tunis, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC

Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain, Juventus

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg