USA set to host first-ever 32 teams FIFA Club World Cup in 2025

Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea have already secured their spots

In 2025, the United States will serve as host for the FIFA Club World Cup, which will feature 32 teams for the inaugural time.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea have already secured spots in the extended competition field that will test venues and logistics in the year preceding the 2026 World Cup as current Champions League champions.

Together with Canada and Mexico, the United States is organising the men's World Cup, and FIFA may grant those nations some Club World Cup matches.

In June–July 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup will take hold. Following a FIFA Council meeting held online, the United States was selected as the host country.

According to FIFA, "the United States' reputation as an established leader in organising international competitions and the fact that it could enable FIFA to maximise synergies with the delivery" of the 2026 competition were also reasons for its commendation.

The Seattle Sounders FC, who won the Concacaf North American Football Region championship in 2022, are also participating in the FIFA Club World Cup. As the host country, the Americans ought to receive another entry.

Famous European teams have long travelled to the US for pre-season friendlies, but the enlarged club competition will give supporters a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch 12 of them play tough matches.

In March, FIFA announced that the primary route for clubs to qualify was to win a continental tournament in one of the five major confederations—Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America—during any of the four years from 2021 to 2024.

The only two regions with a maximum of four entries each are Europe (12 teams) and South America (6 teams). Extra spots should be distributed based on team rankings determined by performances over a four-year period in continental events.

FIFA has long wished to hold a full-scale event every four years, but the existing seven-team Club World Cup for regional winners contested every season has little widespread appeal.

With this enhanced edition in 2025, FIFA will have a significant economic chance to test out new broadcasting strategies and acquire new sponsors, which would pay the clubs' prize money in hundreds of millions of euros.

The significant European Club Association expressed its desire for discussions with FIFA on how to handle financial licences in March.

A FIFA Club World Cup with a three-week duration has not yet been given a specific format. One possibility is to provide a minimum of three games to each of the 32 teams, who would then play in eight divisions of four.

The top eight finishers in each group might then proceed to the quarterfinals. That would result in a 56-game championship if a third-place matchup was included.

The following clubs have also officially registered for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Al-Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Palmeiras (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Monterrey (Mexico), Leon (Mexico), and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia).