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Discover Now How to Watch Super Club World Cup 2025, All About the New 32-Team Format — How It Will Work
Understand the new era of world football and what changes in the FIFA tournament in 2025
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will mark the beginning of a new era in international football.
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Unlike previous tournaments, which had only seven participants, the 2025 edition will be the first to bring together 32 clubs, clearly inspired by the established format of World Cup of national teams.
Furthermore, the United States was chosen as the host, which reinforces the global and commercial character of the tournament, promising to be the biggest club event in FIFA history.
In this article, you will understand what will the new format be like, The distribution of vacancies by continent, O group stage model, O path to the grand final and the direct impact on Brazilian, European and other continents clubs.
We will also discuss the logistical challenges, to the criticism of the tournament and what FIFA intends to achieve with this change.
What will the format of the 2025 Club World Cup be like?
The main transformation is in the number of participants.
Until 2023, the Club World Cup was a lean tournament, with seven teams — the continental champions and the champion of the host country.
However, FIFA decided to expand the competition to 32 teams, in a more democratic and attractive model.
The distribution of vacancies was as follows:
- 12 UEFA clubs (Europe)
- 6 CONMEBOL clubs (South America)
- 4 AFC clubs (Asia)
- 4 CAF clubs (Africa)
- 4 clubs from CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean)
- 1 club from OFC (Oceania)
- 1 club from the host country (United States)
This division was based on the clubs' performance in continental competitions between 2021 and 2024, which values consistency and not just one-off campaigns.
As a result, major powers will have more representatives, while less traditional regions will still have room to participate and develop.
When will it be held?
The new Club World Cup will take place between June 15 and July 13, 2025, totaling 29 days of competition.
The date was strategically chosen to coincide with the European pre-season period and the break in the calendar of some South American leagues, reducing the impact on national tournaments.
FIFA is therefore hoping that the tournament will not hamper clubs' preparations, while also taking advantage of the window to maximize global viewership.
The fact that it will take place in the US, a country with a large time zone compared to Europe and South America, will require logistical and physical adjustments — but it will also allow broadcasts at times accessible to different regions.
Venues and stadiums in the USA
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the United States is already gearing up to host major sporting events.
The Club World Cup will use modern stadiums with capacity for more than 60 thousand fans, ensuring a high-level infrastructure.
Among the stadiums listed or already confirmed are:
- MetLife Stadium (New Jersey)
- SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles)
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
- AT&T Stadium (Dallas)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
In addition, other cities are expected to enter the competition to host games, as the tournament attracts tourist, economic and media interest.
Group stage: how will it be structured?
The format follows a model similar to that of the World Cup for national teams. The 32 clubs will be divided into 8 groups with 4 teams each.
Each club will play 3 matches in the initial phase, facing opponents from their group in a points system.
At the end of the group stage, the The top two from each group advance to the round of 16. From then on, the matches become eliminatory, in a single game, including quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
This format offers:
- More high-level matches
- Clashes between clubs from different continents
- Possibility of surprises and upsets
In other words, guaranteed excitement at every stage, from the beginning to the big decision.
🇧🇷 Which Brazilian clubs are classified?
Brazil will have four confirmed representatives in the 2025 World Cup, all Libertadores champions:
- Palmeiras (Libertadores 2021)
- Flamengo (Libertadores 2022)
- Fluminense (Libertadores 2023)
- Best ranked in CONMEBOL until 2024 (could be Atlético-MG, Corinthians, Internacional or another club with good performance)
It is worth noting that, according to FIFA rules, a country can have a maximum of two clubs in the tournament — unless more than two have won the main continental competition, as is the case in Brazil.
This opens up the opportunity for the country to have strong representation in the tournament, increasing the chances of winning the title and having good campaigns.
Awards and financial gains
FIFA has not yet officially confirmed the prize money. However, estimates indicate that the champion can earn more than US$ 50 million.
This represents a much higher value than previous editions, which offered around US$1.4T5 million to the winner.
In addition, clubs will benefit from:
- Participation quotas
- Image rights and sponsorship
- Increase in market value of players
- International exposure for new fans and investors
However, the combination of prestige and money makes the tournament extremely attractive, especially for clubs outside Europe.
FIFA's global impact and objectives
The new Club World Cup has as its main objective globalize club football, leveling opportunities and increasing technical exchange between continents. Expected impacts include:
- More unprecedented clashes between giants and revelations
- Market opening for clubs from Africa, Asia and Central America
- Technical and financial development of less traditional regions
- Strengthening the FIFA brand in club football
After all, the entity's intention is to transform the tournament into something comparable to the Champions League in prestige — or even create a third global reference, alongside the Champions League and the World Cup for national teams.
Criticisms and logistical challenges
So despite the enthusiasm, the new format also faces criticism. Many European clubs have expressed concerns about the accumulation of games, long trips and the risk of injury to athletes.
Among the main negative points cited:
- Calendar already saturated in European football
- Risk of devaluation of national leagues
- Difficulty adapting to clubs with less structure
- Exhausting intercontinental travel
Even so, FIFA is betting that the benefits outweigh the obstacles, especially in terms of audience, prize money and global exposure.
Conclusion
Certainly, the 2025 Club World Cup will be a real turning point in international football.
However, the new format, with 32 clubs, big prize, headquarters in the United States and a month-long tournament, represents a profound structural shift in the way we view club football on a global scale.
Therefore, for Brazilian clubs, it is a historic chance to prove their worth against the biggest teams on the planet, in a showcase that promises to be watched by billions of people.
With that, football globalizes even more, and fans from all over the world will be able to enjoy an unprecedented spectacle.
After all, with exciting matches and clashes that, until then, only existed in the imagination of fans.
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