Washington, Dec 18: FIFA has announced the schedule and detailed information of the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States in 2025.The FIFA Council met ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 semi-finals here in Saudi Arabia, and took key decisions in relation to the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place from 15 June to 13 July 2025.
The competition’s official name will be Mundial de Clubes FIFA and will feature clubs from each of the six confederations.
The format of the competition comprises a group stage composed of eight groups of four teams per group playing in a single-game round-robin format.
The top two teams per group progressing to the round of 16. A direct single-match knockout stage from the round of 16 to the final. There will be no third-place play-off.
The competition will therefore follow the same format as the FIFA World Cup 2022™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, with the exception that there will be no play-off for third place.
“Clubs play a fundamental role in world football, and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be a major milestone in providing clubs from all confederations with a fitting stage on which to shine at the highest level of the game,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“This will be an open competition based on sporting merit that will play a key role as part of our efforts to make football truly global.”
In addition to the revised Club World Cup, FIFA also announced the Intercontinental Cup, which will be played annually from 2024.
The tournament features all confederation premier club competition champions and concludes with a final at a neutral venue between the UEFA Champions League winners and the winners of an intercontinental play-off between clubs from the other confederations.