Will Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi play in FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :June 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM

Modified at :June 1, 2025 at 10:10 PM

The Club World Cup will this time see 32 teams competing in the tournament.

32 teams from all over the world will compete in the redesigned FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13.

The top club teams from each of the six international confederations—AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA—will compete in the event.

Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan are some of the top UEFA teams in the event. The top four South American teams, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate, and Fluminense, are also included.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

Lionel Messi will play for Inter Miami, a Major League Soccer team, at the Club World Cup.

After reaching a new point total and winning the Supporters’ Shield as the top MLS team in the 2024 regular season, the team was chosen to represent the host country.

The tournament’s first game will take place in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where Messi and company will host the Egyptian team Al Ahly.

After his team, Al Nassr, lost both the domestic league title (Saudi Pro League) and the AFC Champions League the previous season, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s team will not play in the Club World Cup.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup lineup is set 🇺🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/xuJLVwBjIk
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 30, 2024

Only one of the competition’s 32 berths was set aside for a Saudi Pro League team. Al Hilal, which guaranteed its spot after winning the league title the previous season, will be the only Saudi team vying for the trophy.

Gianni Infantino is the president of FIFA. Infantino’s indication that the Portuguese striker would play for another team in the 2025 Club World Cup during a livestream with well-known YouTuber IShowSpeed sparked a swift and forceful response from the player’s representation.

The president’s statement, however, took everyone by surprise when he said:

“Cristiano Ronaldo may also play the Club World Cup with another team. Discussions are taking place with a few clubs.”

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Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.