Man City won the tournament in 2023 (Image: Getty)
Manchester City and Chelsea are the only English clubs participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which has undergone a significant transformation. The revamp, which has been met with widespread criticism from players, coaches, and executives, will see the competition expand to include 32 teams in a summer tournament reminiscent of the World Cup.
This change adds to the already congested fixture list for the participating teams. However, fans eagerly await the draw to find out who their clubs will face next summer.
The Club World Cup has seen sweeping changes in format, scheduling, and qualification process. Here, Express Sport provides a comprehensive guide to the renovated competition.
FIFA Club World Cup Draw
The draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is set to take place on Thursday, December 5, in Miami at 1pm local time (6pm GMT), reports the Mirror.
In contrast to the previous format, where seven teams from the six FIFA confederations competed over 11 days, the new structure will feature 32 teams drawn into a group stage similar to the World Cup.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages, culminating in a much-anticipated final to end the competition.
Pep Guardiola’s side were the 2023 champions (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Fixture dates
Teams are set to jet off to the United States for the reimagined summer tournament, which kicks off on June 15 and runs until July 13.
Miami is slated to host the inaugural match, while the final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Other host cities include Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Nashville, among others.
Who will feature
In terms of participation, no more than two teams from a single European country can qualify for the competition. Selection is based on UEFA rankings or recent Champions League victories.
This means that Chelsea, the 2021 winners, and Manchester City, 2023 victors, will represent England. They’ll be joined by European heavyweights Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Juventus, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, and Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea have qualified because of their 2021 European success under Thomas Tuchel (Image: Getty Images)
How does the draw work
In a draw reminiscent of those for the Champions League and World Cup, 32 teams will be divvied up into four pots of eight, leading to their eventual placement into eight groups of four. The lineup of the pots is as follows:
Pot 1: Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate, Fluminese.
Pot 2: Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Juventus, Red Bull Salzburg
Pot 3: Al Hilal, Ulsan HD, Al Ahly, Wydad, Monterrey, Club Leon, Boca Juniors, Botafogo
Pot 4: Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders, Auckland City, Inter Miami
Where to watch
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but DAZN has reportedly secured the rights to broadcast next year’s Club World Cup after negotiations with Apple fell through.
The Athletic claims that DAZN has struck a $1billion agreement with FIFA, which will see all 63 matches available on their platform for free.
As part of its deal with FIFA, DAZN will also have the option to sub-licence to local free-to-air broadcasters.
Tickets
Ticketing details are still being finalised, and fans who wish to experience the matches live are encouraged to signal their interest through FIFA’s website.
Despite the new Club World Cup format piling more onto players’ and coaches’ packed schedules, it presents another world-class spectacle for football fans to either watch from afar or witness firsthand.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1984359/fifa-club-world-cup-draw-man-city-chelsea