New Club World Cup Format - Everything you need to know
FIFA has revamped the Club World Cup for summer 2025, expanding it to 32 teams, changing it to a four-year cycle, and staging the tournament across 12 major US stadiums, with the competition running from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
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TalkSport

Written by
Steve Worrell
FIFA has introduced a major overhaul to the Club World Cup, transforming it from an annual event into a quadrennial tournament featuring 32 teams from all continents. The competition will kick off on Sunday, June 15, 2025, and continue for just under a month until the final at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 13, 2025. The revamped format includes a group stage—played as a single round-robin where the top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 16—followed by knockout rounds leading to the semi-finals and final, with no third-place playoff. In addition to the new structure, the tournament will be hosted across 12 stadiums in the USA, including notable venues such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The draw for the group stage is scheduled for December 5, 2024, in Miami and will be broadcast free on DAZN, ensuring global accessibility. The tournament is expected to attract many of the world’s biggest clubs and superstars—such as Manchester City, Chelsea, PSG, Lionel Messi with Inter Miami, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane—setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most watched sporting events of 2025.FIFA has introduced a major overhaul to the Club World Cup, transforming it from an annual event into a quadrennial tournament featuring 32 teams from all continents. The competition will kick off on Sunday, June 15, 2025, and continue for just under a month until the final at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 13, 2025. The revamped format includes a group stage—played as a single round-robin where the top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 16—followed by knockout rounds leading to the semi-finals and final, with no third-place playoff. In addition to the new structure, the tournament will be hosted across 12 stadiums in the USA, including notable venues such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The draw for the group stage is scheduled for December 5, 2024, in Miami and will be broadcast free on DAZN, ensuring global accessibility. The tournament is expected to attract many of the world’s biggest clubs and superstars—such as Manchester City, Chelsea, PSG, Lionel Messi with Inter Miami, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane—setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most watched sporting events of 2025.
- New Format: The Club World Cup now features 32 teams and will be held every four years instead of annually.
- Dates: The tournament is scheduled from June 15 to July 13, 2025, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New York.
- Group Stage and Knockouts: The competition starts with a group stage (single round-robin), with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds (Round of 16, semi-finals, final).
- Host Venues: Matches will be played across 12 US stadiums, including major venues like Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Rose Bowl.
- Broadcast: All 63 matches will be streamed for free on DAZN, with further details on access pending.
- High-Profile Participants: Top clubs and stars—including Manchester City, Chelsea, PSG, Lionel Messi (with Inter Miami), Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane—are expected to take part.
- Group Stage Draw: The draw is set for December 5, 2024, in Miami, starting at 6pm UK time and will be widely covered by media outlets such as talkSPORT.
Club World Cup: Groups
Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Club Leon
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns
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Written by
Steve Worrell
Steve, Co-founder of The 1905 Club, created the platform to provide honest, clickbait-free Chelsea FC content. He worked at Stamford Bridge from 2013 to 2016 with a Champions League sponsor. His first Chelsea match was a 1-0 win at Leeds in 2000, and his favourite was the epic 2012 Champions League game against Napoli.