The International Men’s Association football competition, organised by FIFA, is the FIFA Club World Cup. This competition was first held in Brazil in 2000 and was named the FIFA Club World Championship. The competition was between the UEFA Champions League winners and the Copa Libertadores (an annual continental club football competition of CONMEBOL).
The Intercontinental Cup was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship in 2005, and the tournament was renamed the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006. 7 teams are competing in this tournament for the title within the host nation, and generally, the tournament is for 2 weeks. The winners can directly participate in the knockout tournament.
Origins
Table of Contents
- First Edition: 2000 (Brazil)
- Original Purpose: Replace the Intercontinental Cup (Europe vs South America) with a global competition.
- Interruption: After 2000, the tournament was suspended due to financial and logistical issues (e.g. collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner, ISL).
- Return: 2005, then held annually.
FIFA Club World Cup Winners Record
| S No. | Teams | Season | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corinthians Vs Vasco da Gama | 1999-2000 | 0-0 P: 4–3 |
| 2 | São Paulo Vs Liverpool | 2005-2006 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Internacional Vs Barcelona | 2006-2007 | 1-0 |
| 4 | AC Milan vs Boca Juniors | 2007-2008 | 4-2 |
| 5 | Manchester United Vs LDU Quito | 2008-2009 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Barcelona Vs Estudiantes | 2009-2010 | 2-1 |
| 7 | Internazionale Vs TP Mazembe | 2010-2011 | 3-0 |
| 8 | Barcelona Vs Santos | 2011-2012 | 4-0 |
| 9 | Corinthians Vs Chelsea | 2012-2013 | 1-0 |
| 10 | Bayern Munich Vs Raja CA | 2013-2014 | 2-0 |
| 11 | Real Madrid Vs San Lorenzo | 2014-2015 | 2-0 |
| 12 | Barcelona Vs River Plate | 2015-2016 | 3-0 |
| 13 | Real Madrid Vs Kashima Antlers | 2016-2017 | 4-2 |
| 14 | Real Madrid Vs Grêmio | 2017-2018 | 1-0 |
| 15 | Real Madrid Vs Al-Ain | 2018-2019 | 4-1 |
| 16 | Liverpool Vs Flamengo | 2019-2020 | 1-0 |
| 17 | Bayern Munich Vs UANL | 2020-2021 | 1-0 |
| 18 | Chelsea Vs Palmeiras | 2021-2022 | 2-1 |
| 19 | Real Madrid Vs Al-Hilal | 2022-2023 | 5-3 |
| 20 | Manchester City Vs Fluminense | 2023-2024 | 4-0 |
Real Madrid holds the record as the most successful club in FIFA Club World Cup history, having won the title five times. They are followed by Barcelona, which has claimed the title three times.
Winners Record
Here is the record of the number of titles won by the most successful clubs and the FIFA Club World Cup Winners Record List below-
| S No. | Clubs | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 5 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 3 |
| 3 | Corinthians | 2 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | 2 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 1 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 1 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 1 |
| 8 | AC Milan | 1 |
| 9 | Inter | 1 |
| 10 | Sao Paulo | 1 |
| 11 | Internacional | 1 |
Host Nations History
- Brazil (2000)
- Japan (2005–2008, 2011–2012, 2015–2016)
- UAE (2009–2010, 2017–2018, 2021)
- Morocco (2013–2014, 2022)
- Qatar (2019–2020)
- Saudi Arabia (2023)
- The USA will host the 32-team edition in 2025
New format of the FIFA Club World Cup
What is the New format of the FIFA Club World Cup, and how does it work?
The new format of the FIFA World Cup is –
- Expanded field: Grown from 7 to 32 clubs, aligning it more closely with the FIFA World Cup format.
- Held every four years: Replacing the annual tournament, it will now run on a quadrennial cycle (next in 2029).
- Host and dates: The launch edition runs from June 14 to July 13, 2025, in the USA, taking place across 11 cities and 12 venues
Qualified Teams Breakdown
Allocation of 32 spots:
| Confederation | Spots | Qualification criteria |
|---|---|---|
| UEFA | 12 | Champions League winners (2020/21–2023/24) + top teams by UEFA club ranking |
| CONMEBOL | 6 | Copa Libertadores winners (2021–2024) + top-ranked clubs |
| CONCACAF | 4 | Champions Cup winners (2021–2024) + host nation spot (e.g., Inter Miami) |
| AFC | 4 | Champions League winners and ranking-based assignments |
| CAF | 4 | Champions League winners and ranking-based assignments |
| OFC | 1 | The top-ranked club from the four years |
| Host Nation | 1 | Automatically qualifies |
What is the Qualification format for the new FIFA Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup tournament will follow a World Cup format with eight groups of four, a Knockout Phase, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final at MetLife Stadium.
- Final – Winner of the semi-final
- Total Team – 32 Nos
- Groups – 8 Nos
- Opening Match – Al Ahly vs Inter Miami (2025)
- Knockout Phase (from 28 June)
- Last 16 – Top 2 teams from every group (2025 Club World Cup round of 16)
- Quarter Final – Winner of Last 16
- Semi-Final – Winner of Quarter Final
- 3rd Place – Loser of the Semi-Final
- Final – Winner and Runner-up of the tournament
Distribution of Teams
- Play-off round
- Winners of the OFC Champions League
- The host nation’s national league champions
- Quarter-final round
- All-winners of the AFC, CONCACAF Champions League, and CAF Champions League
- Winners of the play-off round
- Semi-final round
- Winners of the Copa Libertadores and UEFA Champions League
- Final
- Winners of the semi-final round
2025 FIFA Club World Cup Qualifiers
The 21st edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will take place in 2025, and the host country is the USA. The tournament has adopted the new 32-team format. Here is the list of the 32 qualifying clubs, including the host country, i.e, the USA, for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025–
| Confederation | Winners |
|---|---|
| UEFA (Europe) (12 Clubs) | Atletico Madrid Bayern Munich Benfica Borussia Dortmund Chelsea Inter Milan Juventus Manchester City Paris Saint-Germain Porto Real Madrid Salzburg |
| CONMEBOL (6 Clubs) | Boca Juniors Flamengo Fluminense Palmeiras River Plate Botafogo |
| CONCACAF (4 Clubs) | Leon Monterrey Pachuca Seattle Sounders |
| AFC (4 Clubs) | Los Angeles Al Hilal Ulsan HD Urawa Red Diamonds |
| CAF (4 Clubs) | Al Ahly Esperance de Tunis Mamelodi Sundowns Wydad |
| OFC (1 Clubs) | Auckland City |
| Hosts | Inter Miami for MLS |
What are the groups for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?
| Groups | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | SE Palmeiras (BRA) FC Porto (POR) Al Ahly FC (EGY) Inter Miami CF (USA) |
| Group B | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) Atlético Madrid (ESP) Botafogo (BRA) Seattle Sounders FC (USA) |
| Group C | FC Bayern München (GER) Auckland City FC (NZL) CA Boca Juniors (ARG) SL Benfica (POR) |
| Group D | CR Flamengo (BRA) Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN) Chelsea FC (ENG) Los Angeles (USA) |
| Group E | CA River Plate (ARG) Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) CF Monterrey (MEX) FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) |
| Group F | Fluminense FC (BRA) Borussia Dortmund (GER) Ulsan HD (KOR) Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA) |
| Group G | Manchester City (ENG) Wydad AC (MAR) Al Ain FC (UAE) Juventus FC (ITA) |
| Group H | Real Madrid C. F. (ESP) Al Hilal (KSA) CF Pachuca (MEX) FC Salzburg (AUT) |
** Bold colours indicate which clubs qualified for the knockout stages.
What is the FIFA Club World Cup Badge?
The FIFA Club World Cup Champions Badge is a special honour awarded by FIFA to the club that wins the FIFA Club World Cup. It symbolises that the club is the reigning world champion at the club level.
Only the current holder of the Club World Cup title may wear the badge.
- For example, if Manchester City won the 2023 edition, they would wear the badge until the 2024 champion is decided.
- FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Prize Money decide behafe of European vs Non-European Club Earnings
What is the Price of the FIFA Club World Cup?
The total prize money pool for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a staggering US$1 billion, distributed among the 32 participating clubs via two pillars:
- Guaranteed participation payments: US$525 million (for all clubs)
- Sporting performance: US$475 million (for all clubs)
- Europe: $12.81–38.19 million
- MLS team – $9.55 million
- A guaranteed $1 million per team for qualifying.
| Component | Amount (USD) |
| Winner’s bonus | + $40 million |
| Participation (Europe) | + $12.81–38.19 million (for top clubs) |
| + Prior round bonuses | From Group Stage → Semis (~$43.625M) |
| Max total | ≈ $125 million |
Future of the Club World Cup
The 2025 edition marks a turning point:
- Bigger, more competitive
- Potential to rival UEFA Champions League prestige
- More revenue and global exposure for clubs outside Europe
