FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Guide: The new tournament in the footballing calendar, the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup kicked off in earnest on Sunday in the USA with a goalless draw between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly. FIFA hopes the four-yearly event will be to club football what the World Cup is to international soccer and establish itself as one of the biggest and wealthiest tournaments in sport.
But the tournament had already faced backlash with players and coaches alike, lambasting it as a soul-less cash grab in an already congested football calendar which is detrimental to players’ performance and health. The new Club World Cup is a supersized version of what used to be a short tournament with only seven teams. The new edition includes 32 teams from around the world and will be held every four years, starting next summer in the United States from June 14 to July 13. As its name suggests, it’s envisioned to be club version of the World Cup for national teams.
That means top players will have a monthlong tournament on top of their domestic league season three out of every four years. With more games also added to the Champions League in Europe this season as well as the next World Cup in 2026, the calendar is filling up quickly.
The Club World Cup has been expanded from seven teams to 32 and will emulate the men’s and women’s World Cups. Eight groups of four teams will play in a round robin mini league, with the top two advancing to a knockout stage, which runs from the round of 16 through to the final.
Group A: Al Ahly (Egypt), Porto (Portugal), Palmeiras (Brazil), Inter Miami (United States)
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), Seattle Sounders (United States)
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Auckland City (New Zealand), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Benfica (Portugal)
Group D: Flamengo (Brazil), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), LAFC (United States)
Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan (Italy)
Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan HD (Republic of 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)
Group stage
Sunday, June 15
Al Ahly vs Inter Miami – 5:30 AM
Bayern Munich vs Auckland City – 9:30 PM
Monday, June 16
Paris Saint-Germain vs Atlético Madrid – 12:30 AM
Palmeiras vs Porto – 3:30 AM
Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders – 7:30 AM
Tuesday, June 17
Chelsea vs. LAFC – 12:30 AM
Boca Juniors vs Benfica – 3:30 AM
Flamengo vs Espérance Sportive de Tunis – 6:30 AM
Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund – 9:30 PM
Wednesday, June 18
River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds – 12:30 AM
Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns – 3:30 AM
Monterrey vs Inter Milan – 6:30 AM
Manchester City vs Wydad AC – 9:30 PM
Thursday, June 19
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal – 12:30 AM
Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg – 3:30 AM
Al Ain vs Juventus – 6:30 AM
Palmeiras vs Al Ahly
Friday, June 20
Inter Miami vs Porto – 12:30 AM
Seattle Sounders vs Atlético Madrid – 3:30 AM
Paris Saint-Germain vs Botafogo – 6:30 AM
Benfica vs Auckland City – 9:30 PM
Flamengo vs Chelsea – 11:30 PM
Saturday, June 21
LAFC vs Espérance Sportive de Tunis – 3:30 AM
Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors – 6:30 AM
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund – 9:30 PM
Sunday, June 22
Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamonds – 12:30 AM
Fluminense vs Ulsan HD – 3:30 AM
River Plate vs Monterrey – 6:30 AM
Juventus vs Wydad AC – 9:30 PM
Monday, June 23
Real Madrid vs Pachuca – 12:30 AM
Red Bull Salzburg vs Al-Hilal – 3:30 AM
Manchester City vs Al Ain – 6:30 AM
Tuesday, June 24
Seattle Sounders vs Paris Saint-Germain – 12:30 AM
Atlético Madrid vs Botafogo – 12:30 AM
Inter Miami vs Palmeiras – 6:30 AM
Porto vs Al Ahly – 6:30 AM
Wednesday, June 25
Auckland City vs Boca Juniors – 12:30 AM
Benfica vs Bayern Munich – 12:30 AM
LAFC vs Flamengo – 6:30 AM
Group D: Espérance Sportive de Tunis vs Chelsea – 6:30 AM
Thursday, June 26
Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD – 12:30 AM
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense – 12:30 AM
Inter Milan vs River Plate – 6:30 AM
Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey – 6:30 AM
Friday, June 27
Juventus vs Manchester City – 12:30 AM
Wydad AC vs Al Ain – 12:30 AM
Al-Hilal vs Pachuca – 6:30 AM
Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid – 6:30 AM
Knockout stage
Saturday, June 28
Winner of Group A vs Runner-up Group B – 9:30 PM
Sunday, June 29
Winner of Group C vs Runner-up Group D – 1:30 AM
Winner of Group E vs Runner-up Group F – 9:30 PM
Monday, June 30
Winner Group G vs Runner-up Group H – 1:30 AM
Tuesday, July 1
Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A – 12:30 AM
Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group C – 6:30 AM
Wednesday, July 2
Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group E – 12:30 AM
Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group G – 6:30 AM
Saturday, July 5
Quarter-final 1 – 12:30 AM
Quarter-final 2 – 6:30 AM
Quarter-final 3 – 9:30 PM
Sunday, July 6
Quarter-final 4 – 1:30 AM
Wednesday, July 9
Semi-final 1 – 12:30 AM
Thursday, July 10
Semi-final 1 – 12:30 AM
Monday, July 14
Final – 12:30 AM
With a total prize fund of $1 billion, the winner of the Club World Cup could earn $125 million.
FIFA said in March that it had allocated $525 million in guaranteed fees for teams taking part. That ranges from $38.19 million to the top-ranked European team to $3.58 million for the representative from Oceania, Auckland City.
A further $475 million is earned by results in the 63 games, with $2 million paid for winning group stage games, $7.5 million for playing in the round of 16 and $40 million to the team that wins the final.
When and where to watch the Club World Cup in India?
Indian fans can livestream the Club World Cup on the DAZN app.
(With agency inputs)
