Club Championship Participants and Reason behind Their Attendances
Gonna Knock 'Em Dead at the 2025 Club World Cup
By Torben Siemer
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Prepare to witness the greatest football spectacle on Earth, as the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup roars into action! And here's the scoop on which 32 teams are taking part and their qualification routes.
The Club World Cup, dating back to 1960, has seen European and South American titans battling it out for supremacy. But this time around, teams from Africa, Asia, America, and Oceania have been invited to join the party, making it the biggest and most diverse tournament yet!
So how did these teams qualify? Well allez les bleus, 'cos us Europeans have been tearing through top competitions like the Champions League and Europa League, giving our teams a ticket to the dance.
But it ain't just the old guard. Spicy South Americans like Palmeiras, Flamengo, and River Plate got there by winning the Copa Libertadores, an iconic tourney for our friends down south. And don't forget our Asian pals, Al-Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, fighting it out in the AFC Champions League, or our African brethren, Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns, who kicked butt in the CAF Champions League.
Going global, the Costa Rican team, Saprissa, will be representing the CONCACAF region after a dominating performance, while the Kiwis from Auckland City take the trophy for Oceania. Not to be outdone, the host nation, the US, shall be represented by the fearsome Inter Miami, led by that little guy named Leo Messi.
Divided into eight groups of four, the top two teams from each group will move on to the knockout stages, all the way from the round of 16 to the final. Game on!
Check out the groups below, and keep an eye on these stars:
Group A
- Palmeiras
- Wydad Casablanca
- Manchester City
- Al Ain
You gotta love Palmeiras, with that Green-Whites swag, having won the 2021 Copa Libertadores. And don't forget about Wydad - founded as a swimming club, this Casablanca powerhouse boasts an impressive fan culture and has some decent players like Jamal Harkass, worth around €2 million.
Manchester City's 2022/23 Champions League triumph secures their spot, with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Rodri ready to shine. Al Ain, based in the United Arab Emirates, have strong connections with Germany, having hosted a handful of top Bundesliga players in the past.
Group B
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Atletico Madrid
- Botafogo
- Seattle Sounders
The Parisian club obtained their ticket through the UEFA ranking, and they've got new sensations like Ousmane Dembélé and Déyré Doué making waves. Atletico Madrid are the Red-Whites, qualifying via the UEFA ranking, with Argentina international Angel di Maria set to join the party post-Club World Cup.
Botafogo, winners of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, lost the final of the 2024 season for the first time since 2019. But don't worry - their stars like Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha will be ready to strike in the USA. Seattle Sounders, the MLS champions of 2022, will be hoping for another triumph on home soil.
Group C
- FC Bayern Munich
- Auckland City
- Boca Juniors
- Benfica Lisbon
When it comes to the Bundesliga, FC Bayern Munich are in a league of their own, having qualified via the UEFA ranking. But they'll be saying farewell because this is their final hurrah, with Thomas Müller hanging up his boots.
Meanwhile, the odds are stacked against the small-time Auckland City gang, since their players have a combined market value of just €1.08 million. Don't despair, though - they're the only representatives from Oceania and pulled off a couple of upsets in past Club World Cups.
Argentine heavyweights Boca Juniors make the scene via the CONMEBOL ranking, boasting a fanatical support base and impressive players like Carlos Palacios and Milton Delgado. Benfica, Portuguese champions, will miss out on the championship by a whisker but still impress, with determined coach Bruno Lage leading the charge.
Group D
- Flamengo Rio de Janeiro
- Esperance Sportive de Tunis
- FC Chelsea
- LAFC
Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro's oldest football club, won the Copa Libertadores in 2022 and are recognized by their blue and gold colors. With offensive maestros like Giorgian de Arrascaeta and a solid defensive duo in Ortiz and Pereira, they're ready to take on the world.
Esperance Tunisia may not be the most renowned team, but they're serial champions in their home country and known for their quality strikers Yan Sasse and Youcef Belaili. FC Chelsea, coming from the London blues, qualified after their 2020/21 Champions League triumph, even if they've failed to live up to expectations since. Lastly, LAFC defeated Club León in the 2023 Club final and will be representing the US.
Group E
- River Plate
- Urawa Red Diamonds
- Monterrey
- Inter Milan
Call them the whites and the reds, those River Plate Argentines rolled up their sleeves and won the 2023 Copa Libertadores. Urawa Red Diamonds, with affectionate ties to the old country, boast a roster of experienced Bundesliga players like Genki Haraguchi. And let's not forget Monterrey and Inter Milan, who've qualified through their domestic and UEFA rankings, respectively.
Group F
- Fluminense Rio de Janeiro
- Ulsan Hyundai
- Borussia Dortmund
- Mamelodi Sundowns
Reigning champions Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro's joint-oldest club, return with some big guns in their ranks, like Thiago Silva. Ulsan Hyundai hail from South Korea and are known for their close relationship with legendary Bum-kun Cha, who played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen in the 1980s.
Borussia Dortmund had a rough start to the season but recovered to reach the UEFA Champions League final. And Mamelodi Sundowns, from Pretoria, South Africa, have won eight consecutive league titles and are no strangers to the Club World Cup.
Group G & H
- Al-Hilal
- Real Madrid
- Pachuca
- Juventus Turin
Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabian record champions, will be accompanied by the glamour squad of Real Madrid, looking to win the Club World Cup for the second time in three years. Juventus, Italy's famous stripes, are tipped to make a splash, too. The fourth team, Pachuca, is a seven-time Mexican champion, having won the Club World Cup in 2007.
And there you have it, folks: the ultimate lineup for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup! So grab your popcorn, settle into your seats, and prepare for a football feast like no other!
Here's a breakdown of all the groups:
- Group A: Palmeiras, Wydad, Man City, Al Ain
- Group B: PSG, Atletico, Botafogo, Seattle
- Group C: Bayern, Auckland, Boca, Benfica
- Group D: Flamengo, Esperance, Chelsea, LAFC
- Group E: River, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter
- Group F: Fluminense, Ulsan, Dortmund, Sundowns
- Group G: Al-Hilal, Real, Juventus, [Redacted]
- Group H: [Redacted], Real Madrid, Pachuca, Juve
The tournament kicks off on June 14, 2025, and ends on July 15, 2025, in the United States. So don't miss it - be there or be square!
The Commission has also taken a number of steps to ensure that the FIFA Club World Cup's proposals are implemented in a way that is consistent with the objectives of the common agricultural policy. For instance, strides have been made to ensure the presence of football teams from various parts of the world, such as Africa, Asia, America, and Oceania.
As Palmeiras, Flamengo, River Plate, Al-Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, and Mamelodi Sundowns compete in the tournament, fans of sports, particularly those who are passionate about football, will undoubtedly be torn between supporting their individual favorite teams and anticipating a thrilling encounter of the best club teams the world has to offer.
