Hearing about a World Cup in the US this year? It’s not the senior national team event you’re expecting. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a newly expanded 32-team club tournament that kicked off on June 15, 2025, and ended with Chelsea lifting the trophy on July 13.

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Teams in 2025 Club World Cup: 32 ·
Host Country: United States ·
Tournament Start Date: June 15, 2025 ·
Final Date: July 13, 2025 ·
Defending Champion: Chelsea (2025)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next
  • Focus shifts to the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by USA, Canada, Mexico (Sky Sports football news outlet)
  • The 2025 Club World Cup serves as a test event for 2026 World Cup infrastructure (FIFA official tournament page)

The table below details the core specifications of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, confirming the shift to 32 teams and a US host.

Specification Value
Official tournament name FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Number of teams 32
Host country United States
Tournament start June 15, 2025
Final date July 13, 2025
Defending champion Chelsea
Format Group stage followed by knockout

The implication: this tournament is a structural departure, replacing the old seven-team annual format with a quadrennial 32-team event.

Is the FIFA World Cup held in 2025?

Distinguishing the FIFA World Cup from the FIFA Club World Cup

No, the senior FIFA World Cup for national teams is not held in 2025. The next men’s World Cup is scheduled for 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico (Sky Sports football news outlet). The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a separate tournament for club teams, expanded to 32 participants for the first time (FIFA official tournament page).

Confirming the 2026 World Cup schedule

The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, with the final on July 19, 2026, across 16 cities in North America (FIFA World Cup 2026 official site). The 2025 Club World Cup, by contrast, is a one-off expanded edition that will not run in years when the World Cup is held.

The pattern: FIFA uses the Club World Cup as an operational rehearsal, not a replacement for the main event.

The upshot

FIFA is using the 2025 Club World Cup as a dry run for the 2026 World Cup, testing logistics, stadium operations, and crowd management at 12 venues across the US.

Where is the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

List of stadiums hosting the 2025 tournament

FIFA announced 12 host venues in 11 cities for the tournament (FIFA stadium guide). Six of these are Major League Soccer stadiums (FIFA Inside media release).

  • MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500) – hosts the final (Marca Spanish sports daily)
  • Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California (capacity 88,500) – largest venue (Marca Spanish sports daily)
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida – opening match (FIFA match schedule page)
  • Other venues include Lumen Field (Seattle), SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles), and more

Host cities for the 2025 Club World Cup

The competition uses 12 stadiums across 10 states and 11 cities (Olympics.com sports news site). The geographic spread allows fans across the country to attend matches, and the tournament serves as a test run for the 2026 World Cup.

Why this matters

For the 2026 World Cup, many of these same venues will host senior national team matches. The Club World Cup is giving FIFA and local organizers a chance to iron out issues before the big event.

The catch: the success of this dry run directly influences World Cup readiness, making venue performance a proxy for 2026 preparedness.

Who is left in the FIFA Club World Cup?

Teams eliminated and those still competing as of July 2025

The tournament has concluded. Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final on July 13, 2025 (Chelsea FC official club site). No teams remain; the champion has been crowned.

Final Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain

The final was played at MetLife Stadium with Chelsea winning convincingly. The scoreline: Chelsea 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain (FIFA match schedule page).

The implication: Chelsea’s victory confirms that UEFA Champions League winners dominate this first expanded edition.

What teams are in the FIFA Club World Cup?

Full 32-team list by confederation

The 32 teams come from all six FIFA confederations. The allocation: UEFA 4 spots, CONMEBOL 5 spots, AFC 4 spots, CAF 4 spots, CONCACAF 4 spots, OFC 1 spot, plus the host nation (United States) gets 1 spot (Sky Sports football news outlet).

  • UEFA: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain
  • CONMEBOL: Flamengo,iras, River Plate, etc.
  • AFC: Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, etc.
  • CAF: Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, etc.
  • CONCACAF: Inter Miami (host), Club América, etc.
  • OFC: Auckland City

Qualification criteria for each slot

Qualification is based on winning the top continental club competition (Champions League equivalent) or a confederation ranking. For UEFA, the four slots go to the Champions League winners from 2021 to 2024, plus the highest-ranked club not already qualified (Sky Sports football news outlet).

The pattern: this qualification system rewards continental dominance, not league performance, which created controversy among clubs like Liverpool.

Why is Liverpool not in the Club World Cup?

Qualification rules for UEFA slots

UEFA’s four slots are awarded to the Champions League winners from the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 editions. Chelsea won in 2021, Real Madrid in 2022 and 2023, and Manchester City in 2024 (Sky Sports football news outlet).

How Chelsea qualified instead of Liverpool

Liverpool did not win the Champions League in any of those four seasons. They reached the final in 2022 but lost to Real Madrid. The rules reward continental title winners, not league performance. Chelsea’s 2021 UCL victory earned them a spot, and they went on to win the Club World Cup.

Bottom line: Liverpool’s absence is straightforward: they didn’t win the Champions League in the qualifying window. Fans wondering why their club isn’t there should look at the UCL winners list, not the Premier League table.

Timeline of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

The tournament featured 63 matches over 29 days, from the group stage to the final (Marca Spanish sports daily).

  • June 15, 2025: Group stage begins ( match: Inter Miami