The FIFA Club World Cup allows club teams to compete with some of the best teams from around the world. The 2025 Club World Cup sees the introduction of a new expanded format, growing from 7 clubs to 32. Previously, the tournament saw the winners of the continental federation trophies compete alongside the champions of the host nation’s league.
This year will see 32 teams compete in a format that looks closer to the old Champions League format. The top recommended UK betting sites already have Manchester City as joint favourite alongside Real Madrid, with City hoping to retain the title they won in 2023. Of course, bookmakers have never experienced the latest competition format, so bettors might be able to find good value by studying the teams involved.
The New Format
The new Club World Cup format splits the 32 teams into eight groups, with the top two teams progressing to the knockout stages that will whittle the competitors down to 2. The knockout stages include the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.
Where and When
The tournament will be held in the US from June 14th to July 13th, with the final being held at the 82,500 capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Other stadiums hosting the tournament include the Pasadena Rose Bowl, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lincoln Financial Field, Lumen Field, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and the Camping World and Inter&Co Stadiums in Orlando.
The Teams
The new expanded format will give American spectators and global viewers the opportunity to see a selection of the world’s best stars, as well as exciting new talents. The list of clubs to take part in the 2025 FIFA World Club Cup is as follows:
- Al Ahly
- Al Ain
- Al Hilal
- Atletico Madrid
- Auckland City
- Bayern Munich
- Benfica
- Boca Juniors
- Borussia Dortmund
- Botofogo
- Chelsea
- Esperance
- Flamengo
- Fluminese
- Inter Miami
- Inter Milan
- Juventus
- Mamelodi Sundowns
- Manchester City
- Pachuca
- Palmeiras
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Porto
- Real Madrid
- River Plate
- Slazburg
- Seattle Sounders
- Ulsan
- Urawa Reds
- Wydad
One interesting thing about this new format will be the gulf in resources between the clubs involved. While some clubs will have strong financial backing, the appeal of different leagues around the world can make it difficult to attract top players.
Because of this, this has resulted in a lot of the European competitors being priced among the favourites for the tournament. Bookmakers currently have Brazil’s Flamengo and Palmeiras as the two top non-European sides at around 33/1 in joint 10th position.
Joint favourite, Real Madrid, will be hopeful of completing a deal for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold before the tournament starts, but despite the top 9 favourites for the tournament coming from Europe, teams will have to consider the effects of a long season on their stars.
Real Madrid have already had a long campaign, including a run to the Quarter-finals of the Champions League. They are still battling with Barcelona for the La Liga title, so going straight into another tournament could see manager Carlo Ancelotti rest some of his top stars and give fringe players more of an opportunity.
Manchester City are also at the top of the betting, but Pep Guardiola faces a Summer of rebuilding. This tournament could be an opportunity to give new signings an opportunity, but it could be an unsettled City side that competes.
Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain will be another interesting option, with both teams facing off at the Allianz Arena on May 31st in the Champions League final. The demands of modern football mean players’ physical conditions must remain at their peak for the majority of the year, and with so many games to play, the importance of a strong squad will be shown by the eventual winner of the tournament.
Conclusion
The world’s eyes will be on this tournament, and Inter Miami’s participation will give Lionel Messi a final opportunity to show what he is capable of at the club level against the best.
It looks likely that the tournament will see another European winner, according to the top football tipsters, but the opportunity for players from around the world to make their mark and earn a move to bigger teams is something that will be worth looking out for.
