One month to the 2025 Club World Cup: the new competition's format | OneFootball

There's officially one month to go until the kick-off of the 2025 Club World Cup, the tournament that will pit 32 teams from across the world against each other for global glory.

A month of action, competition and fun in the various stadiums within the United States are guaranteed in this new-look tournament, with its format completely changed from its predecessor. Let's find out together how it will all unfold.

When and where the matches will be played

The new Club World Cup will be played from 14 June to 13 July 2025 in the United States, one year before the 2026 World Cup (which will also be hosted by the USA, together with Canada and Mexico). Already defined are the 12 stadiums in which it will be played, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New York. From Atlanta to Miami, from Orlando to Washington, the list of venues chosen for this first edition of the FIFA Club World Cup also includes the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (which hosted the unforgettable Italy-Brazil World Cup final in 1994).

The complete list of stadia is as follows:

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Fifa CWC 25 trophy in Turin!

The new format

The competition, which used to feature just eight club sides from across the globe, will now include 32 teams divided into eight groups of four. The eight groups have been drawn as follows:

Group A: Palmeiras (Brazil), Porto (Portugal), Al-Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (USA)

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Atletico 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), Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Chelsea (England), play-off winner between Los Angeles FC and Club America

Group E: River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan (Italy)

Group F: Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ulsan HD (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), Salzburg (Austria)

The top two from each group will advance to the knockout stages, which will include the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, for a total of 63 matches (without a third place play-off), a format that therefore follows that of the World Cup for national teams.

The draw leading up to the final has also already been established, with the Round of 16 match-ups defined as follows: 1A-2B, 1C-2D, 1E-2F, 1G-2H, 1B-2A, 1D-2C, 1F-2E, 1H-2G. In the event of teams ending on equal points in the group stage, the following criteria will be taken into account, in this order: head-to-head record; goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned; highest number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned; goal difference in all matches; highest number of goals scored in all matches; best conduct score (fair-play); draw by FIFA.

JUVENTUS FIXTURES AT THE CWC