Sports Mole provides the lowdown on how the new FIFA Club World Cup format will work, which teams have been drawn into which groups and their route to the final at this summer’s tournament.
The 21st edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will be held in the United States this summer and the newly-expanded tournament will see 32 teams battle for glory for the very first time.
Clubs from six different confederations will be taking part, including reigning champions Manchester City who won their first world title in the previous tournament in 2023 under the old format.
Spanish giants Real Madrid will endeavour to win a record-extending sixth Club World Cup trophy, while Paris Saint-Germain – fresh from their Champions League triumph – will be hoping to add to their treble of trophies won in the 2024-25 campaign.
Other notable names taking part include Brazilian quartet Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo who have all qualified after winning the Copa Libertadores – South America’s most prestigious club competition – over the last four years.
Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate have also qualified, along with the likes of Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal, Egyptian champions Al Ahly and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Here, Sports Mole provides the lowdown on how the new Club World Cup format will work, which teams have been drawn into which groups and their route to the final.
How the new FIFA Club World Cup format will work
© Imago
The new-look Club World Cup will feature a total of 32 teams and will be played every four years from this summer onwards. It is an expansion of the previous version of the tournament, which took place annually and involved only seven teams from across the globe.
All 32 teams have been divided into eight groups of four, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16, kicking off the knockout stage.
The group-stage draw took into account technical and geographical criteria, with only UEFA allowed to have two teams in the same group. Clubs from the same confederation, except for Europe, were kept apart.
Additionally, European and South American clubs were placed so they can only meet from the semi-finals onward, provided they win their groups.
Host country representatives, Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders, were directly allocated to position four in Groups A and B respectively, whil Los Angeles FC have been placed into Group D following the expulsion of Club Leon for multi-club ownership issues.
Confirmed groups for the 2025 Club World Cup
© Imago
Group A
Palmeiras (Brazil)Porto (Portugal)Al Ahly (Egypt)Inter Miami (United States)
Group B
Botafogo (Brazil)PSG (France)Atletico Madrid (Spain)Seattle Sounders (United States)
Group C
Bayern Munich (Germany)Auckland City (Australia)Boca Juniors (Argentina)Benfica (Portugal)
Group D
Flamengo (Brazil)Esperance Tunis (Tunisia)Chelsea (England)Los Angeles FC (United States)
Group E
River Plate (Argentina)Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)Monterrey (Mexico)Inter Milan (Italy)
Group F
Fluminense (Brazil)Borussia Dortmund (Germany)Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea)Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Group G
Manchester City (England)Wydad AC (Morocco)Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates)Juventus (Italy)
Group H
Real Madrid (Spain)Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)Pachuca (Mexico)Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
The road to the final
© Imago
The opening match of the 2025 tournament – the first of 63 in total – will see Al Ahly and Inter Miami square off at Hard Rock Stadium, Florida on June 14 at 8pm local time, while the final will be played on July 13 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey at 3pm local time.
The knockout stage of the Club World Cup will continue with the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. The brackets below show fixtures to be played between group winners and runners-up from different groups.
Round of 16 pairings:
Game One: Group A winner vs. Group B runner-upGame Two:Group C winner vs. Group D runner-upGame Three: Group E winner vs. Group F runner-upGame Four: Group G winner vs. Group H runner-upGame Five: Group B winner vs. Group A runner-upGame Six: Group D winner vs. Group C runner-upGame Seven: Group F winner vs. Group E runner-upGame Eight: Group H winner vs. Group G runner-up
Quarter-finals:
QF1: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game TwoQF2:Winner of Game Three vs. Winner of Game FourQF3: Winner of Game Five vs. Winner of Game SixQF4: Winner of Game Seven vs. Winner of Game Eight
Semi-finals:
SF1: Winner of QF1 vs. Winner of QF2SF2: Winner of QF3 vs. Winner of Q4
Final
The winners of the semi-finals.
