The FIFA Club World Cup was founded in 2000 because all the top teams were desperate for more fixtures on the other side of the world at a very inconvenient time of year; or something like that. Although it might have been rampant greed and a desperate desire to squeeze every last penny out of the game too, it can be hard to tell.
Traditionally sides from the Premier League did not care all that much about the competition and neither did English fans. Supporters from other parts of the world did view it more favourably but nonetheless, to increase its prestige – and to make it a more effective tool for the rich to get richer (both FIFA themselves and the biggest teams that are involved) – the powers that be have expanded it significantly.
Previously just a handful of teams took part, representing each of the different confederations that fall under the FIFA umbrella. Just seven clubs battled it out in 2023, playing a mere seven games in total, with eventual champions Man City only having to play twice. Fast forward to 2025 and the competition has become a month-long event, akin in duration, if little else, to the actual World Cup… i.e. the tournament that people really care about.
Eyes on the prize. 🏆 #TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/qqqhMrvbES
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 1, 2025
This year’s Club World Cup tournament will begin on the 14th of June and the final will take place, for those still awake, on the 13th of July. A total of 32 teams will take part, with Brazil responsible for four of those, the most from any single country. The summer schedule is also a key departure for the 2025 edition of the competition, which has usually been held during the standard season, typically in December, though sometimes in January or even February.
| Country | Clubs |
|---|---|
| Brazil | Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras |
| USA | Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC, Seattle Sounders |
| Argentina | Boca Juniors, River Plate |
| England | Chelsea, Manchester City |
| Germany | Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund |
| Italy | Inter Milan, Juventus |
| Mexico | Monterrey, Pachuca |
| Portugal | Benfica, Porto |
| Spain | Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid |
| Abu Dhabi | Al Ain |
| Austria | Red Bull Salzburg |
| Egypt | Al Ahly |
| France | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Japan | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| Morocco | Wydad AC |
| New Zealand | Auckland City |
| Saudi Arabia | Al-Hilal |
| South Africa | Mamelodi Sundowns |
| South Korea | Ulsan HD |
| Tunisia | Espérance de Tunis |
With 32 clubs taking part, predicting who will win the 2025 Club World Cup is harder than previous editions of this tournament. It is incredibly likely that the winner will be a UEFA side, though some of the CONMEBOL (South America) teams may fancy their chances too. But really, does anyone actually care?
One Billion Reasons to Care
With no major tournament to tide fans over until the start of the new season in Europe and other parts of the world, it is hoped that the Club World Cup will attract a good number of fans aside from those who follow the teams involved. Whether that transpires is doubtful but the 32 clubs who will be at the tournament have a billion very good reasons to be taking this competition very seriously.
Incredibly the prize pool for this year’s Club World Cup is a very cool $1bn. On top of that, there will be solidarity payments totalling $250m made to various clubs and football-related causes around the world, which seems generous until you think that 32 teams will share $1bn and the rest of the world will get a quarter of that.
The huge money up for grabs means that whilst players, managers and probably fans as well, do not really want to take part, all know that they simply have to. With Profit & Sustainability biting just about every team in the world, the sort of financial rewards on offer in the States could make a huge difference to transfer budgets, not to mention owner profit.
Just over half of the billion-dollar pot is paid in guaranteed prize money, with the biggest European sides getting the most cash. Just for turning up the 12 UEFA teams will be paid between $12.81m and $38.19m. South American participants will all earn a fixed $15.21m, with Oceanic clubs getting the lowest at $3.58m and all the rest earning $9.55m.
| Condeferation | Participation Money Per Club |
|---|---|
| UEFA (12 Teams) | $12.81m to $38.19m |
| CONMEBOL (6 Teams) | $15.21m |
| CAF (4 Teams) | $9.55m |
| AFC (4 Teams) | $9.55m |
| CONCACAF (5 Teams) | $9.55m |
| OFC (1 Team) | $3.58m |
Not bad work if you can get it and that is before we get into the $475m that is up for grabs depending on how clubs perform. Each win will be worth $2m with round-based prize money going from $7.5m for clubs that make the round of 16, up to a massive $40m for the winners, plus the other prize pools they will collect along the way.
| Stage Reached | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Group Stage Win | $2m |
| Group Stage Draw | $1m |
| Round of 16 | +$7.5m |
| Quarter-Final | +13.125m |
| Semi-Final | +21m |
| Final | +$30m |
| Winner | +$40m |
According to the BBC, that means that the Premier League’s representatives, Chelsea and Man City, would earn just under £100m if they won all their group games and went on to lift the title. Even in the silly-money world of professional football that is a massive amount of cash and would have a serious impact on a club’s annual turnover.
But Who Will Take Home the Lucre?
Maybe our cynicism will prove ill-founded and FIFA will produce a stunning tournament that captures the imagination of the public both in the US, which will co-host the World Cup next year, and around the world. Or maybe the only people that will care are the money men.
Come what may, there will be 32 teams taking part in the 2025 Club World Cup but we reckon only about seven or eight have a realistic chance of going all the way. According to the oddsmakers, the winner will hail from UEFA, with the top nine in the betting all European.
Brazilian side Flamengo are the shortest-priced non-UEFA club and their odds range from 28/1 to 40/1. The Rio outfit won the Copa Libertadores in 2019 and again in 2022 and have won plenty domestically too but we are sure they will be outgunned here.
Real Madrid are the favourites at 4/1, a shade shorter than Man City at 9/2, with PSG next at 11/2. Real Madrid love to make history and they have won this tournament a record five times. They would certainly see it as a worthwhile endeavour to become the first winners under the new format. The desire to do just that, plus the crazy prize money up for grabs, partly explains why they were prepared to pay Liverpool around £10m for the early release (from his contract, not jail) of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Xabi Alonso has also been brought on board early and we suspect he will do a brilliant job of resurrecting Real after a poor – by their standards – 2024/25 campaign. Man City have a point to prove, and PSG were sensational in winning the Champions League, and beyond them the likes of Bayern (13/2), Chelsea (10/1) and Inter (11/1) all have a decent shot at glory.
But really, this tournament is all about the money, so we might just watch the cricket this summer instead!