FIFA Club World Cup: By The Numbers
By: AT
Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons
On June 14, Major League Soccer (MLS) Inter Miami and Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly duelled to a 0-0 draw. An inaugural meeting between both clubs, this 0-0 draw was unlike any other scoreless draw. It was an enthralling match with many opportunities generated by both sides — including a missed penalty by Al Ahly — and the opening match to the newly expanded quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup.
For one month (from June 14 to July 13), a number of clubs (see below for the exact number) from around the world will compete to win the Club World Cup, a tournament that FIFA aims to make the world’s most prestigious, outclassing the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in Europe and the Copa Libertadores in South America. Clubs qualified for this tournament based on their performances and points accumulated from matches — known as the ranking pathway — within the following continental club competitions:
AFC Champions League Elite (Asia);
CAF Champions League (Africa);
CONCACAF Champions Cup (North America, including Central America and the Caribbean);
CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores;
OFC Champions League (Oceania); and
UEFA Champions League.
However, the qualifications of such MLS clubs as Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC (LAFC) were exceptions to the rule. For example, Miami were awarded the “host” berth of the tournament because, in addition to being based in the United States, they won such domestic titles as the 2023 League Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield (strangely, neither of these titles represent the most prestigious domestic title in North America: the MLS Cup). Regarding LAFC, they defeated Liga MX Club América in a one-match playoff, with the winner replacing Liga MX club Club León, which were disqualified from the tournament due to being owned by an entity that also owns fellow participants and Liga MX club CF Pachuca.
This tournament will follow an identical format to FIFA World Cup, particularly that from its editions from 1998 to 2022, and prior to its 2026 expansion of 48 countries. It boasts a group stage (eight groups of four clubs) and one-match knockout rounds (round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinal and final).
While this tournament is not devoid of controversies — the involvement of Saudi Arabia and that state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) conflicting with secured broadcasting rights for the tournament (see below), players expressing concerns over a new competition taking place and the “cash-grab” warm-up jerseys scandal in Seattle, to name a few — supporters from around the world will flock to stadiums throughout the United States to watch their favourite clubs play in the tournament, with the winner hoisting a unique trophy (see cover image).
To support our overview of this tournament, we provide five must-know facts/figures as you begin following a new football competition.
12: Venues (11 American cities) hosting Club World Cup matches. The venues (and home cities) are the following:
Audi Field (Washington D.C.);
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina);
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida);
Geodis Park (Nashville, Tennessee);
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida);
Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando);
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania);
Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington);
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia);
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey);
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California); and
TQL Stadium (Cincinnati).
28: The age range between the youngest and the oldest players registered for this tournament. Fábio, a Brazilian goalkeeper at Brazilian Série A club Fluminense, is the oldest player playing at the ripe age of 44. At the other end of the age spectrum, Urawa Reds midfielder Takeshi Wada is the youngest player registered for this tournament, age 16 years. Should they both make an appearance, Fabío and Wada would become the oldest and youngest players to feature in a Club World Cup tournament, including previous editions.
32: Clubs competing in this tournament, an increase from seven in previous editions, which took place in December or January. These clubs come from the following six continents/confederations:
Africa/CAF (4);
Asia/AFC (4);
Europe/UEFA (12);
Oceania (1);
North America (5); and
South America (6).
The 32 clubs come from 20 different countries, which are the following:
Africa:
🇪🇬 Egypt: Al Ahly
🇲🇦 Morocco: Wydad AC
🇿🇦 South Africa: Mamelodi Sundowns FC
🇹🇳 Tunisia: ES Tunis
Asia:
🇯🇵 Japan: Urawa Reds
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Al-Hilal
🇰🇷 South Korea: Ulsan Hyundai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates: Al Ain FC
Europe:
🇦🇹 Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
🏴 England: Chelsea FC and Manchester City
🇫🇷 France: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
🇩🇪 Germany: Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
🇮🇹 Italy: Inter Milan and Juventus FC
🇵🇹 Portugal: FC Porto and SL Benfica
🇪🇸 Spain: Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid
North America:
🇲🇽 Mexico: CF Monterrey and CF Pachuca
🇺🇸 United States: Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC and Seattle Sounders
Oceania:
🇳🇿 New Zealand: Auckland City FC
South America:
🇦🇷 Argentina: Boca Juniors and River Plate
🇧🇷 Brazil: Botafogo, Flamnego, Fluminense and Palmeiras
Notably, several big-name clubs — namely EPL clubs Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, LaLiga club FC Barcelona and Serie A clubs AC Milan and SSC Napoli — are not among the 32 participants at this year’s tournament.
≈ 90: Countries represented through players’ nationalities at the tournament, per The Economist. The actual number remains contingents on which players ultimately feature in a Club World Cup match. As well, this figure represents almost three times the number of countries represented at the World Cup (for countries) from 1998 to 2022 and almost double the number at the 2026 World Cup (48). Despite boasting only four clubs at the tournament, Brazil will be the most-represented nation at the tournament, fielding 142 players across all 32 clubs’ squads. Argentina will have the second highest number of registered players, at 104.
US$1.0 billion: This figure corresponds to two things: the broadcasting rights awarded to DAZN, a British streaming platform, and the overall tournament prize-money pool.
With respect to broadcasting rights, FIFA had awarded DAZN a US$1.0 billion contract to stream the entirety of the tournament exclusively. However, as previously mentioned, this deal sparked controversy because, within the same month of that purchase, DAZN sold a stake to Saudi Arabian state-owned firm Surj Sports, also worth US$1.0 billion. Both Surj Sports and Saudi Aramco — a main sponsor for the tournament — are owned by the state’s PIF, which are also sponsors of the tournament.
Concerning prize money, all 32 clubs are eligible to earn a sizeable amount of money, with the tournament winners potentially entitled to a maximum of US$125 million. To put these gains into perspective, according to BeIN Sports, 2024-25 UCL winners PSG earned approximately US$93.0 million for their emphatic performances — excluding broadcasting and club coefficient rankings revenue — throughout this year’s UCL run to the title. FIFA’s mechanism to deliver this cash to the 32 participating clubs is divided into two pillars, one based on performances, and another based on participation. Earning based on the participation pillar vary by club and their confederation membership. The structure for the performance and participation pillars are the following:
Performances: Totalling US$475.0 million
Group stage (three matches): US$2.0 million for a win; US$1.0 million for a draw per club
Round of 16: +US$7.5 million
Quarterfinals: +US$13.1 million
Semifinals: +US$21.0 million
Runners-up: +US$30.0 million
Winner: +US$40.0 million
Participation: Totalling US$525.0 million
Africa: US$9.6 million
Asia: US$9.6 million
Europe: US$12.8-US$38.2 million*
North America: US$9.6 million
Oceania: US$3.6 million
South America: US$15.2 million
* Participation money allocated to European clubs is based on sporting and commercial criteria, per FIFA.
Furthermore, FIFA established a novel solidarity fund designed to fund football clubs around the world and contribute to growing the game of football across the globe, especially in underfunded regions. This fund is reportedly worth US$250.0 million, though it is unclear how FIFA decides which clubs or organizations are entitled to a particular sum of that cash.
It is important to note that, according to Sky Sports, no governing body — such as countries’ football federations, the six confederations and FIFA — will receive a portion of this tournament’s revenue or the solidarity fund.
The Next Club World Cup
Despite the 2025 Club World Cup kicking off two days prior to this article’s publication, several clubs have already qualified for the 2029 Club World Cup, though the host nation(s) is/are not yet known. To date, Australia (potentially with New Zealand), Morocco, Portugal and Spain (as co-hosts), and the United States have expressed official interest in hosting that edition. So far, the qualified clubs for 2029 are:
🇪🇬 Egyptian Premier League club Pyramids FC, which won the 2024-25 CAF Champions League title;
🇫🇷 PSG, which hoisted the 2024-25 UCL title;
🇲🇽 Liga MX club Cruz Azul, which earned the 2024-25 CONCACAF Champions Cup title; and
🇸🇦 Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, which claimed the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite title.
That said, Pyramids and Al-Ahli will make their Club World Cup debut, whereas Cruz Azul will appear in the expanded tournament for the first time, marking their first appearance since 2014, where they finished fourth out of seven clubs.
The 2029 tournament’s format will be identical to that of this year. However, CONCACAF/North America will lose one slot, dropping from five to four. That slot has been awarded to CONMEBOL/South America, which will boast six clubs in the 2029 edition. That 2029 Club World Cup will take place one year before the 2030 FIFA World Cup (for countries), which will mark the centennial anniversary of that tournament.
Comment below your predictions on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup winners!
