FIFA Club World Cup Guide
A tournament that isn't needed, but nevertheless, here's a quick run through.
By Patric Ridge
Football is now non-stop. The powers that be are making it worse, too.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA boss, has long wanted to expand any competition that his organisation runs, and with the World Cup having already moved to a 48-team tournament, starting next year, the Club World Cup has now moved from a mid-season mini-tournament to a gargantuan, 32-team event taking place when players, managers and fans (remember them!) should be taking a deserved break.
But, teams are taking it seriously — probably down to the huge prize money on offer.
The tournament starts on Saturday at 8pm EDT (1am Sunday GMT), with Inter Miami taking on Al Ahly, and runs until July 13th.
So here, we break down the money, the venues, the eight groups and some of the big names involved.
THE MONEY 💰
FIFA are offering up a prize pot of £775million — the winners of the tournament could take home £97m.
But each of the clubs in the group stage are guranteed £1.5m for a win and £800k for a draw.
However, each club will also receive a participation fee, though how much depends on the calibre of the team. For example, the highest-ranked European teams will receive close to £30m just for taking part.
THE VENUES 🏟️🇺🇸
This tournament is acting as something of a dry-run for next year’s World Cup, albeit that will be held over three countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Club World Cup will only be held in the USA, across 12 venues.
Al Ahly and Miami will kick off the tournament at the Hard Rock Stadium in south Florida, while the final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Ten of the host stadiums are on the east coast, while only Seattle’s Lumen Field and Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl have been selected on the west coast.
Here’s the full list:
Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Charlotte, TQL Stadium
Cincinnati, Bank of America Stadium
Los Angeles, Rose Bowl Stadium
Miami, Hard Rock Stadium
Nashville, GEODIS Park
New Jersey, MetLife Stadium
Orlando, Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Inter&Co Stadium
Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field
Seattle, Lumen Field
Washington DC, Audi Field
THE GROUPS
Group A: Palmeiras 🇧🇷, Porto 🇵🇹, Al Ahly 🇪🇬, Inter Miami 🇺🇸
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷, Atletico Madrid 🇪🇸, Botafogo 🇧🇷, Seattle Sounders 🇺🇸
Group C: Bayern Munich 🇩🇪, Auckland City 🇳🇿, Boca Juniors 🇦🇷, Benfica 🇵🇹
Group D: Flamengo 🇧🇷, Espérance de Tunis 🇹🇳, Chelsea 🏴, LAFC 🇺🇸
Group E: River Plate 🇦🇷, Urawa Red Diamonds 🇯🇵, Monterrey 🇲🇽, Inter 🇮🇹
Group F: Fluminese 🇧🇷, Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪, Ulsan HD 🇯🇵, Mamelodi Sundowns 🇿🇦
Group G: Manchester City 🏴, Wydad AC 🇲🇦, Al Ain 🇦🇪, Juventus 🇮🇹
Group H: Real Madrid 🇪🇸, Al-Hilal 🇸🇦, Pachuca 🇲🇽, Salzburg 🇦🇹
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
One from each group…
Lionel Messi is the obvious choice from Group A. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner may not be in his pomp, but he is still one of the world’s best players, and this is a great chance for him to show his levels have not dropped too much since he moved to MLS in 2023.
Ousmane Dembélé has had the season of his life, and is well in the running for the Ballon d’Or after propelling PSG to Champions League glory. He is our pick from Group B, though Julian Alvarez has had a stellar campaign for Atletico Madrid, too, and Botafogo certainly have some talents to keep an eye out for. Then, of course, the likes of Desiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — Dembélé’s team-mates — are likely to shine, too.
Ángel Di Maria will leave Benfica after their Club World Cup participation, with the 37-year-old set to return to his first club, Rosario Central. However, he still has that game-turning ability, and is the pick for Group C. Thomas Müller will also be heading for pastures new after the Club World Cup, so he will be eager to go out on a high with Bayern.
Cole Palmer struggled to hit the heights he is capable of during the second half of Chelsea’s 2024-25 campaign, though he still turned in a pivotal performance during the UEFA Conference League final, as the Blues came from behind to dispatch Real Betis. He is the standout pick from Group D, but it will be interesting to see how Liam Delap gets on in his first Chelsea appearances, too.
Franco Mastantuono is one of the names on everybody’s lips at the moment. The teenager is being touted as the next big thing, capable of rivalling Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal in the years to come. He is expected to join Real Madrid, but for now will be out to impress for River Plate in Group E.
Jamie Gittens could well have been playing for Chelsea at this tournament, had the Blues got their wish. As it is, the English winger will be plying his trade for Dortmund in Group F, from which the German giants really should progress. Gittens has pace to burn and plenty of skill in his locker — it is still likely he ends up at Stamford Bridge by the end of the summer, but for now, BVB will be hoping he can help drive them on a deep run.
Rayan Cherki is one of three new signings Man City have completed in the past week as Pep Guardiola bolstered his squad ahead of the tournament. Tijjani Reijnders is an excellent midfielder and Rayan Aït-Nouri a safe bet at full-back, but Cherki — fresh from scoring a wondergoal in France’s Nations League thriller against Spain last week — is the one to really keep an eye out for. Kevin De Bruyne has now moved on, officially completing a move to Serie A champions Napoli on Thursday. This could be Cherki’s chance to prove he is capable of helping to fill the void.
Kylian Mbappé was the leading scorer in European football in 2024-25, and has now hit 50 goals for France after his efforts in the Nations League finals. His first season at Madrid failed to yield a major success, so this tournament provides Los Blancos — now under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso — a chance to right that wrong. Trent Alexander-Arnold will also be involved, as will Dean Huijsen, as Madrid’s rebuild begins. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, will be coached by Simone Inzaghi, fresh from his switch from Inter.