100 million for winning? The prize money is crazy…All about the FIFA Club World Cup

what’s different about the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will take place in the United States from June 15-July 13, and will feature 32 World Cup-quality teams, up from the previous seven-team format. The tournament will now take place every four years, with teams determined by continental allocation and club rankings.
there are eight group stages, with the first and second place finishers in each group advancing to the round of 16, followed by a single-elimination tournament to the final, withno third or fourth place games.
matches are played in large NFL-sized stadiums (MetLife, Hard Rock, etc.) in 12 cities across the United States.

major participating teams and star players

• UEFA (12 teams): real, Man City, Bayern, Chelsea, PSG, Inter, Juventus, Benfica, Porto, Dortmund, Atletico, and Salzburg
• CONMEBOL (6 teams): palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, Boca Juniors
• AFC (4 teams): alhilal, Al-Ain, Urawa Reds, Ulsan HD
• CONCACAF (4 teams): monterrey, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders, LAFC
• CAF (4 teams): al Ahly, Waidad, ES Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns
• OFC (1 team): oakland City
• host nation (1 team): Inter Miami

the star-studded lineup of participating teams is impressive. messi (Inter Miami), Mbappe (PSG), Bellingham (Real), Mkhitaryan-Kane (Bayern), Holland (Man City), Muller, Marquinhos, and more.

prize pool and economic impact

• group stage win: $2 million
• draw: $1 million
• participation alone: millions of dollars in revenue
• prize pool: approximately $125 million (the largest ever)

matches will be played in large stadiums across the U.S., and the tourism, transportation, and economic impact is expected to be enormous.

issues and challenges

• player fitness issues due to overcrowding on the schedule
• controversy over unsold tickets and empty seats for some games

nonetheless, it will be an unprecedented stage for the world’s biggest clubs to battle it out in the name of “clubs” rather than nations. it’s a truly global soccer festival, where styles, tactics, and continental level differences can be compared at a glance.