<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/fifa/">FIFA</a> has officially announced&nbsp;that the highly-anticipated draw for the expanded&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/club-world-cup/">2025 Club World Cup</a>&nbsp;will take place on&nbsp;December 5&nbsp;in Miami, United States. The upcoming edition of the tournament, scheduled for&nbsp;June and July 2025, will feature&nbsp;32 teams, marking a significant shift from previous formats and attracting both excitement and criticism. The tournament will take place across&nbsp;12 US stadiums, with Miami’s&nbsp;Hard Rock Stadium&nbsp;set to host the opening match, while other venues will span both the East and West Coasts.



The draw event, scheduled to commence at&nbsp;1:00 PM local time on December 5, will be streamed live on&nbsp;FIFA.com, FIFA+, and various international platforms. FIFA describes this tournament as the “greatest, most inclusive, and merit-based global club competition in history,” although much remains uncertain, from operational details to potential sponsors and viewership.



This year’s competition will consist of&nbsp;eight groups of four teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stages. Unlike past tournaments, the new format will include no third-place match, making the&nbsp;final showdown on July 13&nbsp;the tournament’s defining moment.&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/inter-miami/">Inter Miami</a>, starring <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/lionel-messi/">Lionel Messi</a>, has been designated to open the tournament on&nbsp;June 15&nbsp;at the Hard Rock Stadium, underscoring the commercial draw of Messi’s influence on the event.



<h2>Last qualifier to be determined</h2>



Although&nbsp;31 teams have already secured their spots, the final participant will be the winner of the upcoming&nbsp;Copa Libertadores&nbsp;final on&nbsp;November 30&nbsp;in Buenos Aires, which pits&nbsp;Atletico Mineiro against Botafogo. Top clubs like&nbsp;Real Madrid,&nbsp;Manchester City,&nbsp;Bayern Munich,&nbsp;Al-Hilal,&nbsp;Boca Juniors, and&nbsp;River Plate&nbsp;have already confirmed their place in the lineup, bringing international anticipation to the forefront.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20241112_WST_539448_2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-1200x675_0f809a19.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-539449" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-740x416.jpg 740w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-490x275.jpg 490w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2-250x140.jpg 250w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/2025-Club-World-Cup-draw-date-revealed-Messis-Miami-to-host-it-2.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, announced the initial structure, affirming that the expanded tournament will now run every four years. This format is intended to echo the global appeal and competitive structure of the World Cup, and the organization is yet to name a host country for the subsequent edition in&nbsp;2029.



<h2>Players’ concerns over exhaustion and scheduling conflicts</h2>



While the tournament’s broadened format seeks to enhance the global footprint of club football, it has been met with mounting criticism from players and managers. Many voice concerns over player fatigue and the burden of additional fixtures in an already demanding schedule. Top managers, including&nbsp;Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola&nbsp;and&nbsp;Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, have openly criticized the increased workload, with Guardiola questioning FIFA’s mandate that teams field their “strongest players.”



In October, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/guardiola-uses-nba-analogy-to-highlight-club-world-cups-demanding-schedule/">Guardiola expressed his frustration</a>, stating, “Who are the strongest players? Which ones? Will FIFA tell me which players are stronger than the other ones? I don’t understand that“. Such comments reflect a growing frustration shared by others in the football community, who feel that FIFA’s scheduling demands are unsustainable.



Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, a Spanish midfielder for Manchester City, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/rodri-players-close-to-strike-to-combat-fixture-congestion/">highlighted players’ growing dissatisfaction</a>, warning that they’re on the brink of striking due to the crowded calendar. He noted, “In my humble opinion, it’s too much,” underscoring the collective sentiment among elite players. Support from players’ unions like&nbsp;FIFPro&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Association of World Leagues&nbsp;has further amplified the concern, with some groups approaching the European Commission to review FIFA’s expanding tournament demands.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw date revealed, Messi's Miami to host it

2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw date revealed, Messi's Miami to host it - World Soccer Talk

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The matchups for the upcoming <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/club-world-cup-tv-schedule-streaming-links/">FIFA Club World Cup</a> are now officially set after a draw for the competition was completed early Friday in Morocco. Seven total teams will enter the tournament to be played from February 1st through the 11th.



Wydad (CAF), Auckland City (OFC), Seattle Sounders (CONCACAF), Flamengo (CONMEBOL), and <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a> (UEFA) all qualified for the Club World Cup for winning their respective confederations. Al Ahly earned access to the competition to the tournament as host (despite being an Egyptian team). They were previously runners-up in the CAF Champions League Final in 2022.



Al Hilal is also competing in this year’s Club World Cup because they won the AFC Champions League tournament in 2021. The 2022 competition is still in the knockout phases. It will not end until later in this year. 



American fans will notice Seattle Sounders appearing in the competition. This is the first time an MLS team is competing in the Club World Cup.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">The countdown to the Club World Cup is on 😈 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/ChCJG0CZWn">pic.twitter.com/ChCJG0CZWn</a>— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/SoundersFC/status/1612222313948409856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>FIFA Club World Cup draw results</h2>



DRAW



First Round



Al Ahly SC vs. Auckland, February 1



Second Round



Seattle Sounders vs. Al Ahly SC or Auckland, February 4 Wydad AC vs. Al Hilal SFC, February 4



Semi-final



Flamengo vs. Wydad AC or Al Hilal SFC, February 7 Seattle Sounders or Al Ahly or Auckland vs. Real Madrid, February 8



Third-place final



Losers of semi-final 1 vs. semi-final 2, February 11



Final



Winners of semi-final 1 vs. semi-final 2, February 11



Television broadcasts of the games will be shown across FOX Sports and Telemundo Deportes in the United States. As soon as we get more details, check out the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/club-world-cup-tv-schedule-streaming-links/">Club World Cup TV schedule</a>.



<h5>Format for tournament is a bit uncommon</h5>



With an odd number of teams, the competition’s format is a bit unusual. Al Ahly will face Auckland City on February 1st in the first round of the competition. It will be the only match of the opening round of the tournament. Three remaining clubs will begin play in the second round of the competition. This is a bit similar to the March Madness bracket of college basketball here Stateside. 



As winners of the two toughest confederations, Flamengo and Real Madrid will enter the tournament in the semifinal stage. Although Flamengo has never won the Club World Cup, Brazilian teams have collected the trophy four times since the competition began in 2000. Real Madrid has won this tournament four times during a five-year stretch between 2014 and 2018. UEFA teams have triumphed in each of the last nine Club World Cups.



FIFA has already <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/premier-league-should-boycott-club-world-cup-says-carragher-20221216-WST-412499.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced plans to expand</a> the competition to 32 teams in 2025.



PHOTO: IMAGO / Sven Simon

The FIFA Club World Cup draw has been released. The tournament will take place in Morocco from February 1st through the 11th.

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