The United States will serve as hosts of the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, after being unanimously voted upon by the FIFA Council.
The host selection process considered infrastructure and service requirements before deciding the United States stood as ‘a proven leader in staging global events’. The tournament also precedes the 2026 World Cup, also set to be co-hosted by U.S., giving FIFA an opportunity to maximize synergies and kick off the development of football in the North American region.
“We are thrilled that the United States has been selected to host the most prestigious club competition in world soccer. This adds to the already unprecedented runway of top-tier events in which either our National Teams are involved or are taking place in our country and is yet another opportunity to grow the game here in the United States,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Cone.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men’s club football, and with the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest, the United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament,” added FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“With some of the world’s top clubs already qualified, fans from every continent will be bringing their passion and energy to the United States in two years’ time for this significant milestone in our mission to make football truly global.”
The tournament’s new format will see 32 clubs compete, replacing the seven-team version to create a milestone competition every four years. In order to qualify, clubs must win a continental championship in any of the four years from 2021 to 2024 within the five main confederations: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
Europe was awarded 12 slots, South America boasts six and every other region holds just four. Extra entries are expected to be awarded according to each team’s ranking by results of a four-year span in the continental competitions.
The tournament is expected to run for approximately three weeks, guaranteeing the 32 teams at least three games each playing in eight groups of four. FIFA has yet to finalize details, with a lot of the competition’s formatting still subject to change.
