Sixty-three fixtures, 32 teams, 11 cities, one champion – they're the main numbers for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the USA. FC Bayern are part of the high-quality field and are eagerly awaiting the draw for the group stage on Thursday 5 December at 19:00 CET in Miami, Florida. fcbayern.com has answered any questions you may have ahead of the new global club tournament.
The format
In previous years, the club world champions have been determined in a mini tournament of seven teams at the end of each year. Bayern won the title in both 2013 and 2020 as defending Champions League winners. From 2025, the tournament will be held in the summer and will take place every four years. A total of 32 teams from the international confederations AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA will take part in the USA from 15 June to 13 July 2025.
The teams will be drawn into eight groups of four, in which they'll play each other once. The top two from each group go through to the round of 16. The knockout rounds will be played as single matches all the way to the final. There'll be no third-place playoff.
Participating clubs
Europa – UEFA (12 clubs): The last four winners of the Champions League, plus the eight best teams in the UEFA ranking over the last four years.
Chelsea (Champions League winners 2021), Real Madrid (Champions League winners 2022), Manchester City (Champions League winners 2023), FC Bayern (via ranking), Borussia Dortmund (via ranking), Paris Saint-Germain (via ranking), Inter Milan (via ranking), FC Porto (via ranking), Benfica (via ranking), Juventus (via ranking), Atlético Madrid (via ranking), RB Salzburg (via ranking).
South America – CONMEBOL (6 clubs): The last four winners of the Copa Libertadores, plus the two best teams of the last two years.
Palmeiras (Copa Libertadores winners 2021), Flamengo (Copa Libertadores winners 2022), Fluminense (Copa Libertadores winners 2023), Botafogo (Copa Libertadores winners 2024), River Plate (via ranking), Boca Juniors via ranking).
North and Central America, Caribbean – CONCACAF (4 clubs): The last four winners of the CONCACAF Champions League.
CF Monterrey (CONCACAF Champions League winners 2021), Seattle Sounders (CONCACAF Champions League winners 2022), Club León (CONCACAF Champions League winners 2023), CF Pachuca (CONCACAF Champions League winners 2024).
Africa – CAF (4 clubs): The last three winners of the CAF Champions League and one further team from the ranking list.
Al-Ahly (CAF Champions League winners 2021 and 2023), Wydad AC Casablanca (CAF Champions League winners 2022), ES Tunis (via ranking), Mamelodi Sundowns (via ranking).
Asia – AFC (4 clubs): The last three winners of the AFC Champions League and one further team from the ranking list.
Al-Hilal (AFC Champions League winners 2021), Urawa Red Diamonds (AFC Champions League winners 2022), Al-Ain (AFC Champions League winners 2023/24), Ulsan HD (via ranking).
Oceania – OFC (one clubs): The best team in the OFC Champions League over the last four years: Auckland City.
Plus one club from the host country: Inter Miami (Supporters' Shield winners 2024).
If a club wins its confederation's Champions League title more than once in the relevant period, another team from the four-year table qualifies. In addition, a maximum of two clubs per country may participate in the Club World Cup, unless more than two win the Champions League.
The group draw
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
FC Bayern Munich
|
Chelsea
|
Al Hilal
|
Urawa Red Diamonds
|
For the drawing of the groups on 5 December, the teams have been split into four pots based on their coefficients. For each group, one team will be drawn from each pot. Clubs from the same country cannot be placed in the same group, and with the exception of the UEFA representatives, multiple participants from the same association can also not meet in the group stage. Find out who Bayern's opponents could be here.
The venues
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the USA was awarded the contract to host the 2025 Club World Cup. The opening match will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with the final at the MetLife Stadium in New York. The 11 host cities are New York, Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington D.C. and Orlando, which is represented by two stadiums.
What's happened with the previous Club World Cup?
Instead of being simply replaced, this will exist in reduced form under the new name of Intercontinental Cup. For the 2024 edition, the reigning Champions League winners – Real Madrid – will take on the winners of a mini-tournament between the Champions League winners from all the other confederations. This final will be played on 18 December on neutral ground. The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is to be awarded in the years between the Club World Cup.
We present our possible opponents in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage in more detail:
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