FIFA Club World Cup 2025 draw: fixtures, teams, groups

Del Piero to host the draw

Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero, a 2006 FIFA World Cup champion, will lead the draw in the main studio. He will be accompanied by other football and entertainment icons serving as his draw assistants.

TV presenter Samantha Johnson and DAZN host Diletta Leotta will take on the role of draw presenters in the main studio.

FIFA Club World Cup

Why aren’t Liverpool playing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

While Liverpool may be on a title charge, they won't be part of the 2025 Club World Cup.

The problem for the scouse side lies in the fact that two other English clubs have already won the Champions League, leaving no room for additional Premier League representatives.

The Anfield side claimed the UCL title in 2019/20, a season too early to qualify for this tournament, and were runners-up in 2021/22. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Manchester City secured the European crown in 2020/21 and 2022/23, respectively, earning their spots in the U.S.-hosted competition.

Although Liverpool's club ranking surpasses that of several qualified teams from other countries—such as Porto, Atlético Madrid, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Juventus, and RB Salzburg—it is irrelevant.

The two-club-per-country rule and their absence from the list of winners in the last four Champions League campaigns prevent their inclusion.

Why are RB Salzburg in the Club World Cup?

Salzburg qualified due to their club ranking. Despite only reaching the UCL round of 16 once and twice dropping down into the Europa League, where they fell at the first hurdle both times, they still got a ticket to the USA.

The Austrians are the main beneficiaries from Madrid’s two Champions League wins and the two-clubs-per country rule.

Salzburg were 18th in the rankings at the end of 2023/24 but the teams above them had either already qualified for the Club World Cup or were from a country that had already provided two qualifiers.

Liverpool, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and AC Milan were all ahead of Salzburg in the rankings but had their route into the tournament blocked by the qualification of two other teams from their own countries.

The Austrian club will therefore will be taking part in the tournament in the US as the ninth and last UEFA qualifier as a result of their club ranking.

That's all, folks.

The draw is done and the groups are confirmed, so I think we can wrap it up there. Thanks for tuning in and make sure to head over to en.as.com for all your news from the world of sport. 

When does the action start?

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is due to begin on June 15 next year, with the final scheduled for July 13.

Al Ain FC are out, they go into Group G.

And it's host team Seattle Sounders out of the bag, who go into Group B.

Al Ain, Seattle Sounders and Pachuca are left; if the MLS side are not drawn next, we'll know how things will end here today.

Up next we have Urawa Red Diamonds, who are into Group E.

South African side Mamelodi Sundowns FC are out next; they go into Group F.

Espérance Sportive de Tunisie are out next. They go into Group D.

Auckland City FC are into Group C as B is for Seattle Sounders.

Inter Miami are first out in Pot 4, they are into Group A.

Pot 4:

Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN), Al Ain FC (UAE), Espérance Sportivede Tunisie (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), CF Pachuca (MEX), Seattle Sounders FC (USA), Auckland City FC (NZL), Inter Miami CF (USA)

Saudi side Al Hilal will play Real Madrid and FC Salzburg in Group H.

Wydad AC are out of the pot, and will play Manchester City and Juventus in Group G.

Next up are Ulsan HD, who go into Group F alongside Fluminense and BVB.

CF Monterrey are out of the hat, and go into Group E.

Up next are Club León. They go into Group D.

Boca Juniors are out now, and they'll play in Group C.

Up next is Al Ahly, who go into Group A.

Group B is looking incredibly tough right now...

PSG, Atlético Madrid and Botafogo...

Botafogo are the first team out of Pot 3, and will go into Group B. 

They can't go into A as Palmeiras are already there. 

Ah, not quite yet...

"It's half way into the draw so time for a half-time break", says the host, as we run through the host cities.

Time for Pot 3:

Al Hilal (KSA), Ulsan HD (KOR), Al Ahly FC (EGY), Wydad AC (MAR), CF Monterrey (MEX), Club León (MEX), CA Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA)

RB Salzburg will go into Group H with Real Madrid.

The next team out is Juventus, who will play Manchester City in Group G.

Borussia Dortmund will go into Group F.

We've got Inter Milan out now, who will go into Group E.

There's a slight pause between draws as we fly down the road to a studio where various people including Arsene Wenger and Maxi Rodríguez pull balls out of pots to decide the fixtures.

I'll post the full list at the end.

Next up is SL Benfica, who go into Group C, as there are no constraints.

Atlético Madrid are out, they'll go into Group B with PSG, who they just played in the, ahem, Champions League.

There are plenty of stipulations and complications

They have to do with country, coefficient and pots, and are extremely complicated, which is why it's a good thing we have Del Piero and his magic spreadsheet to help us out.

Next up is Chelsea, who will be dropped into Group D.

The first team out of the pot is FC Porto, who go into Group A.

They join Palmeiras.

Pot 2 time!

Chelsea FC (ENG), Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC InternazionaleMilano (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Atlético de Madrid (ESP), SL Benfica (POR), Juventus FC (ITA), FC Salzburg (AUT)

The last team out, naturally, is Bayern, who fall into Group C.

Real Madrid are out of the pot; they will play in Group H, the final group.

Brazilian side Flamengo drawn out of the pot, they will play in Group D.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are drawn into Group G.

Fluminense are out next; they will enter Group F.

River Plate are drawn next and will go into Group E (due to restrictions on confederations)

PSG are into Group B; they will play against Seattle Sounders.

An unexpected twist

Ivanka Trump is now on stage. Jared Kushner has been mentioned twice and we've had a video from Donald himself. Plain to see the Trump family have spent a fair amount of time with Infantino.

I promise, we're nearly there!

Now we're going through the clubs (again), this time with a - you guessed it - video montage.

Almost ready to go...

Diletta Leotta, another presenter, has now joined Del Piero on the stage.

A reminder of the Club World Cup pots:

Pot 1: Manchester City (ENG), Real Madrid C. F. (ESP), FC Bayern München (GER), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), CR Flamengo (BRA), SE Palmeiras (BRA), CA River Plate (ARG), Fluminense FC (BRA)

Pot 2: Chelsea FC (ENG), Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Atlético de Madrid (ESP), SL Benfica (POR), Juventus FC (ITA), FC Salzburg (AUT)

Pot 3: Al Hilal (KSA), Ulsan HD (KOR), Al Ahly FC (EGY), Wydad AC (MAR), CF Monterrey (MEX), Club León (MEX), CA Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA)

Pot 4: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN), Al Ain FC (UAE), Espérance Sportive de Tunisie (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), CF Pachuca (MEX), Seattle Sounders FC (USA), Auckland City FC (NZL), Inter Miami CF (USA)

How does the draw work?

While Del Piero explains in his words, here's my description of how things will go:

The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four teams.

All teams will play three group games each, with the top two teams progressing to the round of 16. In the group stage, as we're all used to, teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a draw.

Group winners will face group runners-up in the round of 16. Matches that are tied in the knockout rounds will go to extra time and then a penalty shootout if necessary.

Did you know?

Alessandro Del Piero lives in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

"I'm very excited to be here today", he says to the host, before explaining how the draw will work.

And now Del Piero is here, which means we might be getting closer to the actual draw.

Infantino has just put a golden key inside the back of the trophy, which has now opened into what looks like a solar system model. Hope he keeps that key safe.

O Fenômeno is here

Infantino is back and he's brought a friend. It's Ronald Nazário, who you'll know as the current president of Real Valladolid in the Spanish league. 

The pair do a great job of lifting a blanket from the trophy, showcasing it to applause from the host.

Another video

Keep up! This one's the trophy presentation, and it's a glamorous black and gold video with the slogan of 'history belongs to you' as the theme.

They didn't miss out Gianni's signature.

OK, everyone breathe. After that Trump appearance, we've got a dramatic montage with a voiceover of someone who must be the child of both Brian Blessed and Morgan Freeman.

"Special friend" Donald Trump is speaking!

"I just want to wish everyone a good evening. I'll try and be there. You're led by a man named Gianni, he's the President and I'm the President, soccer is going through the roof...

My son is a tremendous soccer fan, but not quite that kind of good, he loves soccer and it's taking over the US in terms of the sport. I want to say my highest regards for Gianni. I was very responsible along with Gianni in getting the World Cup."

Infantino mentions TV deal:

"5 billion people will watch it on TV, the agreement will allow fans watch every second of every match live and for free"

"It's about inclusivity, the 32 best clubs from the world, together, to determine which one is truly the best in the world".

I told you this tournament will end all arguments. Auckland win it and that's it.

And here he comes

Wearing some Adidas Stan Smith trainers, Infantino says it's "emotional" to hear "the Miami vibe".

"It's football or soccer, call it as you want. Football unites the world, and this is a historic day. It's the draw of the first ever draw of the FIFA Club World Cup."

I've spotted Gianni

We've now got a speech from Cuban-American musician and film producer Emilio Estefan, who made the song we've just heard.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo Nazário is sat next to Gianni Infantino on the front row.

It's no 'World in Motion', but times change I guess. We've got dancers on the stage now as our host Samantha Johnson gives us an introduction.

And we're off with the video!

Finally, we're underway with some opening shots of various locations across the US over a lovely musical tune.

We're not going just yet

It turns out that it wasn't the start of the video, it was just the screensaver. You, me and all those in the posh seats are still waiting for the event to get kicking.

Here we go!

The opening video has just begun, and we've currently got a spinning logo on the screen as the lights dip in the venue.

The stage is set!

This photo is from a few minutes ago; I can assure you that the seats are full and we're all waiting on Alessandro Del Piero to get things going! Yes, Gianni, and you too.

Xavi Hernández:

"It will be a great tournament for every team, and for so many people across the world"

"[My favourite player] is still Leo Messi" 

Five minutes to go!

We're almost ready for the ceremony to start, with the final guests filing into their seats in the huge arena.

Who can Real Madrid play?

Pot 2 includes Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atlético de Madrid, Benfica, Juventus, and Salzburg. According to FIFA’s draw rules, matchups must involve the four lowest-ranked European teams. As Atlético are excluded due to being from the same country as Real Madrid, Madrid could only face Benfica, Juventus, or Salzburg from this pot.

The remaining two teams in Madrid’s group of four will come from Pots 3 and 4, without any restrictions:

Pot 3 features Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea), Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Monterrey (Mexico), Club León (Mexico), Boca Juniors (Argentina), and Botafogo (Brazil), the new Libertadores champions.

Pot 4 includes teams from North America and other regions, such as Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Al Ain (United Arab Emirates), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Pachuca (Mexico), Seattle Sounders (USA), Auckland City (New Zealand), and Inter Miami (USA), featuring Lionel Messi.

The venue for the final

After plenty of debate, rumours and suggestions, it was finally revealed that MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey will stage the tournament's final on Sunday, 13 July 2025.

A reminder of the Club World Cup pots:

Pot 1: Manchester City (ENG), Real Madrid C. F. (ESP), FC Bayern München (GER), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), CR Flamengo (BRA), SE Palmeiras (BRA), CA River Plate (ARG), Fluminense FC (BRA)

Pot 2: Chelsea FC (ENG), Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Atlético de Madrid (ESP), SL Benfica (POR), Juventus FC (ITA), FC Salzburg (AUT)

Pot 3: Al Hilal (KSA), Ulsan HD (KOR), Al Ahly FC (EGY), Wydad AC (MAR), CF Monterrey (MEX), Club León (MEX), CA Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA)

Pot 4: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN), Al Ain FC (UAE), Espérance Sportive de Tunisie (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), CF Pachuca (MEX), Seattle Sounders FC (USA), Auckland City FC (NZL), Inter Miami CF (USA)

Jorge Mas arrives at the event...

The Inter Miami owner has just been spotted on the red carpet at the Club World Cup draw, which is getting busier by the minute!

Remember, the draw is set to get underway in around 10 minutes.

MLS Commissioner speaks ahead of the draw:

Don Garber, who recently was elected for four more years at the top of MLS, has just spoken to the media as he heads inside:

"We always want to play against the best teams in the world. So this is an opportunity to compete and show almost 30 years of development of our league now we're able to play against the best teams in the world in our country. It's super exciting."

If you've just joined us...

Welcome! Here's a brief run down of how things are set up for today:

The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four teams.

All teams will play three group games each, with the top two teams progressing to the round of 16. In the group stage, as we're all used to, teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a draw.

Group winners will face group runners-up in the round of 16. Matches that are tied in the knockout rounds will go to extra time and then a penalty shootout if necessary.

Here's the trophy!

The new trophy was designed by FIFA and made in collaboration with global luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, whose signature is engraved into the prize for eternity, said: “Innovative, inclusive, groundbreaking and truly global, the new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup deserves a trophy that represents all of this. It is both prestigious and timeless – a golden trophy that is a symbol of the future and inspired by the past.”

FIFA Club World Cup: a breakdown

Feast your eyes on this: it's a fantastic video that rapidly highlights all the key aspects of the FIFA Club World Cup, featuring moments from Mr FIFA himself among other big names in the game.

Half an hour to go!

Various guests are now arriving at the Miami venue after having their official pre-draw dinner, hosted by FIFA. 

They're posing for photos on the red carpet before taking their seats.

Don Garber's CWC concerns:

We have to take into account the calendar and I understand Javier’s views. I think we all have to work to see if we can be more actively involved in the decision-making process, and I would include that in the Club World Cup.

As a league, we are as conscious as everyone else of the implications for our players and the different competitions they have to compete in.

Botafogo to make an interesting challenge

Botafogo are set to be a surprising challenge for any team who is not familiar with their recent exploits, and have been thriving with a former MLS star in their ranks.

Ex-Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada is having a great time in Brazil and is shining with his new team after leaving North America to return to his home continent. 

After a long time being rumoured to join a European side, Almada made the move south and has since shown that he made the correct choice, proving his worth time and time again for the side top of the Brazilian league.

Don't forget!

Teams from the same country can’t be drawn against each other in the group stage. 

As well as that, each group will contain only one team from the same confederation, “whenever possible,” with the exception of UEFA, which supplies 12 of the 32 participants.

Four of the eight groups will have one European team, with the other four having two.

Here are the host stadiums

We've had easterly winds blowing in the States which has seen the vast majority of fingers pointing at the map end up over towards the Atlantic coast, with just two locations west of Illinois selected as host cities.

Club World Cup

2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw: Date, times, how to watch on TV, stream online

If you want to watch Gianni's self love as well as listen to me gushing about him endlessly, then head over to one of the various channels that are broadcasting the man himself. 

There are plenty of options to be fair to FIFA, who have made it very easy to get your eyes on the action.

FIFA Club World Cup

Why aren’t Barcelona playing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

You may have noticed below that FC Barcelona are not part of the Club World Cup teams, while LaLiga sides Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are.

That's due to the fact that the Catalans were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage, which ultimately cost them a place in the upcoming tournament.

Clubs either qualified by winning their confederation’s top club competition or due to their ranking within their confederation over the previous four-year period.

Given Barça's struggles on and off the field, Atlético Madrid pipped them to the money pot in the end over a 4-year cycle.

Pot 4:

Urawa Red Diamonds (Jpn), Al Ain (Uae), Esperance de Tunis (Tun), Mamelodi Sundowns (Rsa), Pachuca (Mex), Seattle Sounders (USA), Auckland City (Nzl), Inter Miami (USA)

Real Madrid are the kings of the cup

As with the trigger warning, Gianni, UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid have been the undisputed kings of the competition over the past decade, winning the trophy more than any other team.

2014 - Real Madrid

2015 - Barcelona

2016 - Real Madrid

2017 - Real Madrid

2018 - Real Madrid

2019 - Liverpool

2020 - Bayern

2021 - Chelsea

2022 - Real Madrid

2023 - Manchester City

Pot 3:

Al Hilal (Ksa), Ulsan HD (Kor), Al Ahly (Egy), Wydad (Mar), Monterrey (Mex), Club León (Mex), Boca Juniors (Arg), Botafogo (Brz)

Not long to go!

And it seems Egyptian side Al Ahly are incredibly excited to see how the draw unfolds.

The Voyager Mission style trophy is currently being prepared by a man wearing special gloves.

Pot 2:

Chelsea (Eng), Borussia Dortmund (Ger), Inter Milan (Ita), Porto (Por), Atlético Madrid (Esp), Benfica (Por), Juventus (Ita), Salzburg (Aut)

Big money prizes on offer

European clubs, represented by the European Club Association (ECA), have been lobbying for a larger share of the prize pool, arguing that they generate the majority of the tournament’s revenue.

They oppose equal distribution and instead favour a proportional model based on their contributions to the event.

Approximately 70% of the prize pool is expected to go to the 12 Europeanclubs participating in the tournament: Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Juventus, Benfica, Porto, and Red Bull Salzburg.

Pot 1:

Manchester City (Eng), Real Madrid (Esp), Bayern Munich (Ger), Paris Saint-Germain (Fra), Flamengo (Brz), Palmeiras (Brz), River Plate (Arg), Fluminense (Brz)

FIFA Club World Cup

How to watch the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: DAZN to show across the world

In the end, it was DAZN who emerged victorious in the global race to secure the broadcasting rights, which have seen numerous twists and turns. FIFA had been in negotiations with Apple TV and other operators, seeking revenue it deemed suitable for the product.

However, those talks failed to yield an agreement, leaving DAZN to secure the deal for worldwide coverage.

Mr FIFA himself Gianni Infantino said that he was “delighted to announce that FIFA, in partnership with DAZN and FIFA+, will bring the best of club football for free to everywhere in the world, meaning that every single football fan across the globe can watch the best players from the 32 best clubs compete in the new FIFA Club World Cup to be the first official ‘FIFA Club World Champions’.

We already know where Messi will go

As is a normal quirk with tournaments, we already know where the teams from the host country will go.

In this case, it's Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders, who will take up position 4 in Group A and B respectively.

What's more, Lionel Messi’s side will take part in the opening game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 15. 

How will the draw work?

Say it quietly but it's a little bit like the old Champions League...

The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four teams.

All teams will play three group games each, with the top two teams progressing to the round of 16. In the group stage, as we're all used to, teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a draw.

Group winners will face group runners-up in the round of 16. Matches that are tied in the knockout rounds will go to extra time and then a penalty shootout if necessary.

12 host stadiums set to play a part

The United States, as you may be aware, will host the tournament, with a total of 12 stadiums selected:

· Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia

· TQL Stadium - Cincinnati, Ohio

· Hard Rock Stadium - Miami, Florida

· Geodis Park - Nashville, Tennessee

· MetLife Stadium - New York-New Jersey

· Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, North Carolina

· Camping World Stadium - Orlando, Florida

· Inter&Co Stadium - Orlando, Florida

· Rose Bowl Stadium - Los Angeles, California

· Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

· Lumen Field - Seattle, Washington

· Audi Field - Washington, D.C.

Gianni Infantino's Miami announcement:

Inter Miami into the Club World Cup

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami did indeed make it into this tournament. 

However, a legitimate question is to ask 'why?', as they are not fighting for MLS Cup, the trophy that decides the best team in the North American league. 

However, the highest domestic honour in the US does not, it turns out, give one access to The Club World Cup, but instead the position is decided by the winner of the Supporters' Shield.

Which teams have qualified for the Club World Cup?

You're really asking all the good questions today. 

Here's a list of all the teams that have qualified for the tournament:

· Chelsea (England)

· Real Madrid (Spain)

· Manchester City (England)

· Bayern Munich (Germany)

· PSG (France)

· Inter Milan (Italy)

· Porto (Portugal)

· Benfica (Portugal)

· Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

· Juventus (Italy)

· Atlético Madrid (Spain)

· Salzburg (Austria)

· Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

· Urawa (Japan)

· Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)

· Ulsan (South Korea)

· Al Ahly (Egypt)

· Wydad (Morocco)

· Esperance (Tunisia)

· Mamelodi (South Africa)

· ClubLeon (Mexico)

· Rayados (Mexico)

· Pachuca (Mexico)

· SeattleSounders (USA)

· Palmeiras (Brazil)

· Fluminense (Brazil)

· Flamengo (Brazil)

· Botafogo (Brazil)

· River Plate (Argentina)

· Boca Juniors (Argentina)

· Auckland City (New Zealand)

· Inter Miami (USA)

What is the Club World Cup?

A fair question, dear reader, and one that is well worth asking now Gianni Infantino, our dear leader of FIFA, has wrapped his hands firmly around the concept. 

The Club World Cup is pretty much what it says on the tin: it's a tournament that puts the best teams across the world against each other to find out who is, definitely and unequivocally, the greatest soccer team on planet Earth. After this there can be no more discussions and no more Twitter/X debates. It's the final answer.

Let's get going

Hello and a warm welcome to the AS USA live coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup draw, where we'll find out today just how things are going to play out during the 2025 event.

It's Joe here to guide you through the draw as well as hopefully keep you well-informed and entertained along the way. If you're half as excited as I am at this point then you're already on the right lines.