Julius OkorieThe 2025 Club World Cup will get under way on Saturday June 14, with the final taking place on Sunday July 13.
The championship is entering a new era, with the tournament now being played every four years, like the traditional international World Cup, instead of annually.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThirty two teams will take to the field over the next few weeks in the USA to battle for the honour of becoming World Champions.
While FIFA’s idea has been widely criticised as a money grab, and more unnecessary fixtures in an already hectic schedule, there is no disputing that the concept is a fascinating one, with clubs from non-European nations set to get more exposure to a global audience.
As contestants and teeming soccer fans across the globe keep their fingers crossed while looking forward to the kickoff;
Important Facts About The FIFA Club World Cup:
* The tournament was first held in 2000, as FIFA Club World Championship.
* It was not held from 2001 to 2004 due to a combination of factors, chiefly the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner, International Sport and Leisure (ISL).
* It returned in 2005 as an annual competition through 2023. Following the 2023 edition, the tournament was again revamped to a quadrennial competition starting this year 2025.
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*The 2025 Club World Cup is taking place in the United States, and will serve as good preparation for next summer’s World Cup, which will be held in some cities that are also hosting games in this competition.
*Twelve venues in 11 cities will host matches throughout the tournament, with the opener being played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, before the final is hosted at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is also the host of the 2026 World Cup final.
* Other Venues are Pasadena, Charlotte, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, Nashville, Cincinnati and Washington DC .
* For the first time the championship will feature 32 teams, with 63 matches to be played.
*15-time winners of the Champions League, Real Madrid are seen as favourites for this competition, especially as they are set to take it seriously, paying Liverpool £10m to release Trent Alexander-Arnold from his contract early, while also encouraging some players to withdraw from international duty in order to focus on the Club World Cup.
*There will be a whopping $1bn (£750m) in the prize pot for all 32 clubs to compete for, with $125m (£92m) for the winner of the 2025 Club World Cup.
*All clubs are guaranteed a flat fee just for competing, which varies based on what continent you are from (Europe the highest, Oceania the lowest), while those who progress through the rounds will be granted prize money for every victory.
*Reaching the final will guarantee a one-off payment of $30m (£22m), while the winners will get an additional $10m (£8m) for their victory in the showpiece event, and simply making it out of the groups will earn clubs $7.5m (£5.5m).
*Nine European clubs have won the competition previously, with the other three winners hailing from Brazil.
*Manchester City are current holders of the Club World Cup after beating Brazilian club Fluminense 4-0 in the 2023 final.
*Real Madrid boasts of the highest number of wins, having won the title a record five times 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022
* The final will feature musical interlude at half time for the first time with Nigeria’s Tem,Colombia’s J Balvin and America’s Doja Cat performing.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
