© Chema Rey/MARCA/SIPA
In 2025, not only the Champions League, but also the FIFA Club World Cup will feel the changes.
2023 was the last year when this tournament took place annually. From now on, it will be held every 4 years and will be significantly more grandiose.
FIFA announced that the tournament will consist of 32 world clubs, including 12 European teams. In addition to them, there will be four teams from Asia, Africa, and Central/North America. These clubs will be from South America, one from the Oceania zone, and the last club - the tournament hosts.
At this time, 21 teams have already secured their positions in the 2025 tournament, including three Brazilian teams, Oceania representative "Auckland City," and Saudi Arabian leaders "Al Hilal."
In Europe, the last two spots will be secured by one of the Spanish teams ("Barcelona" or "Atletico") and the winners of the 2023-24 Champions League. Besides them, "Chelsea," "Real," "Manchester City," "Bayern," PSG, "Borussia," "Juventus," "Inter," "Benfica," and "Porto" know what they will be doing in the summer of 2025. The latter 7 clubs qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup based on the 4-year UEFA coefficient.
Drawback. The tournament will be played from the beginning of June to the beginning of July. The additional burden on players is not good, so before the 2025-26 season, leagues may need to make certain adjustments. The good thing is that the winners of the Champions League will no longer have to travel to Japan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and similar countries to participate in the annual FIFA Club World Cup.
Tournament format. For a month, football fans will be able to enjoy the usual 32-team format, which has been applied six times in the World Cup. As known, the format will change in the planet's championships from 2026 onwards (48 teams, 12 groups), so the 32-team format in the FIFA Club World Cup should be appealing.
2025 date. The first trial of the new format - from June 15 to July 13 in the United States of America.
