When is the Club World Cup? All you need to know as Chelsea, Man City & Real Madrid prepare for new tournament
This summer will see the first edition of the new-look Club World Cup tournament, as the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid prepare to compete for the prestigious trophy.
This new competition is really an expanded version of the Club World Cup we’ve seen before, but which previously featured fewer teams.
Chelsea and Man City have actually won the trophy before, as have Manchester United and Liverpool, but Premier League clubs previously had to qualify by winning the Champions League, and even then would only take part in a semi-final and final.
So, how does the new-look Club World Cup look and when is it on this summer? We’ve got all the info for you below…
When is the Club World Cup?
Not long after the traditional end of the club season, fans can look forward to even more football as the Club World Cup kicks off on the 15th of June.
The tournament will then run for almost a month, with the final set to take place on the 13th of July.
Here’s the full Club World Cup schedule:
Group stage
Sunday June 15
Group A: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 1am
Group C: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 5pm
Group B: PSG vs Atletico Madrid – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 8pm
Group A: Palmeiras vs Porto – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 11pm
Monday June 16
Group B: Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 3am
Group D: Chelsea vs TBC – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 8pm
Group C: Boca Juniors vs Benfica – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 11pm
Tuesday June 17
Group D: Flamengo vs Esperance de Tunis – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am
Group F: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 5pm
Group E: River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 8pm
Group F: Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns – Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando; kick off 11pm
Wednesday June 18
Group E: Monterrey vs Inter Milan – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 2am
Group G: Man City vs Wydad AC – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm
Group H: Real Madrid vs Al Hilal – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm
Group H: CF Pachuca vs FC Salzburg – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 11pm
Thursday June 19
Group G: Al Ain vs Juventus – Audi Field, Washington, D.C; kick off 2am
Group A: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 5pm
Group A: Inter Miami vs Porto – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 8pm
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs Atletico Madrid – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 8pm
Group B: PSG vs Botafogo – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 11pm
Friday June 20
Group C: Benfica vs Auckland City – Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando; kick off 5pm
Group D: Flamengo vs Chelsea – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 7pm
Group D: TBC vs Esperance de Tunis – GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 10pm
Saturday June 21
Group C: Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 2am
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Bosurissa Dortmund – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 5pm
Group E: Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamonds – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 5pm
Group F: Fluminense vs Ulsan HD – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 11pm
Group E: River Plate vs Monterrey – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 11pm
Sunday, 22 June
Group G: Juventus vs Wydad AC – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm
Group H: Real Madrid vs CF Pachuca – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm
Group H: FC Salzburg vs Al Hilal – Audi Field, Washington, D.C; kick off 11pm
Monday, 23 June
Group G: Man City vs Al Ain – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 2am
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs PSG – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 5pm
Group B: Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 5pm
Tuesday, 24 June
Group A: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 2am
Group A: Porto vs Al Ahly – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 2am
Group C: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors – GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 7pm
Group C: Benfica vs Bayern Munich – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm
Wednesday, 25 June
Group D: TBC vs Flamengo – Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 2am
Group D: Esperance de Tunis vs Chelsea – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am
Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati; kick off 8pm
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm
Group E: Inter Milan vs River Plate – Lumen Field, Seattle; kick off 11pm
Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles; kick off 11pm
Thursday, 26 June
Group G: Juventus vs Man City – Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm
Group G: Wydad AC vs Al Ain – Audi Field, Washington, D.C; kick off 8pm
Group H: Al Hilal vs CF Pachuca – GEODIS Park, Nashville; kick off 1am
Friday, 17 June
Group H: FC Salzburg vs Real Madrid – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am
Knockout stage – round of 16
Saturday, 28 June
Match 49: Group A winners vs Group B runners-up – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 5pm
Match 50: Group C winners vs Group D runners-up – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 9pm
Sunday, 29 June
Match 51: Group B winners vs Group A runners-up – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm
Match 52: Group D winners vs Group C runners-up – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 9pm
Monday, 30 June
Match 53: Group E winners vs Group F runners-up – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; kick off 8pm
Tuesday, 31 June
Match 54: Group G winners vs Group H runners-up – Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 2am
Tuesday, 1 July
Match 55: Group H winners vs Group G runners-up – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami; kick off 8pm
Wednesday, 2 July
Match 56: Group F winners vs Group E runners-up – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 2am
Quarter-final fixtures
Friday, 4 July
Match 57: Winner match 53 vs Winner match 54 – Camping World Stadium, Orlando; kick off 8pm
Saturday, 5 July
Match 58: Winner match 49 vs Winner match 50 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia; kick off 2am
Match 59: Winner match 51 vs Winner match 52 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta; kick off 5pm
Match 60: Winner match 55 vs Winner match 56 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 9pm
Semi-final fixtures
Tuesday, 8 July
Match 61: Winner match 57 vs Winner match 58 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm
Wednesday, 9 July
Match 62: Winner match 59 vs Winner match 60 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm
FIFA Club World Cup Final
Sunday, 13 July
Match 63: Winner match 61 vs Winner match 62 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey; kick off 8pm
Which teams are in the Club World Cup?
The biggest names from England Europe to watch out for are Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus.
From elsewhere, we could see some big-name players in action for Saudi and MLS clubs.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will undoubtedly be one star attraction, while Al Hilal also boast big names like Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Joao Cancelo on their books.
And of course, there are so often some underrated gems to watch out for from South America, so keep an eye on Brazilian sides Palmeiras and Fluminense, as well as Argentinian giants Boca Juniors and River Plate.
What’s the prize money for winning the competition?
There’s a huge amount up for grabs for the winners of the 2025 Club World cup – £97m ($125m).
It may be a new tournament, at least in this format, but it’s no wonder clubs have been so keen to take part in it even after such long and gruelling seasons.
For comparison, you can win £176m for winning the Premier League, £135m for winning the Champions League, and just £3.9m for the FA Cup.
How does it impact the summer transfer window?
In another unusual twist for this summer, there will be a mini transfer window running from June 1st until June 10th before a longer one later on.
This allows clubs competing in the Club World Cup to bring in new players early so they can compete in the tournament.
Player contracts tend to run from July 1st until June 30th, so it also means we’re seeing things like Trent Alexander-Arnold moving to Real Madrid for a €10m fee, rather than waiting to join as a free agent later.
If Real had waited to sign Alexander-Arnold at the end of his contract, he’d have been free, but wouldn’t have been able to play for them in the Club World Cup, so Madrid will feel it was worth paying a small amount to get him in earlier.
When you look at the prize money on offer, with Los Blancos sure to be one of the tournament favourites, it’s hard to argue against that probably being a smart decision.
Has the Club World Cup been controversial?
There’s no doubt that the introduction of this new tournament has attracted criticism.
On the face of it, it’s pretty clear that this is yet another money-spinner by FIFA, and it seems far from ideal for player welfare.
We’re already seeing so many injuries due to high work load, with the footballing calendar busier than ever, and with the modern game so fast and intense.
Fans will be glad of more football to watch over the summer, but it will be interesting to see what kind of quality of football we see from what may likely be a lot of tired players.
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