I thought the World Cup was next year?
The 2026 World Cup is what is technically known as the Proper World Cup, for national teams. This summer’s tournament is the Club World Cup, featuring some (emphasis on “some”) of the world’s best domestic teams – Real Madrid, PSG, River Plate and the like.
Didn’t that already exist?
It did. Manchester City are technically the holders. But if there’s one thing Fifa likes, it’s grossly expanded tournaments and the Club World Cup is no exception. Since the tournament started in 2000, it usually featured six or seven teams representing Fifa’s various confederations. The teams would turn up, play a few knockout games in half-full stadiums – and the whole thing would be done in around 10 days with very few people remembering who actually won the thing by the time next year’s edition came around.
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Naturally, Fifa decided fans wanted even more of this type of thing and have expanded the tournament: 32 teams will now play 63 games in 11 host cities across the United States over a period of four weeks. Like the most recent World Cup, there will be a group stage with the best two teams from each of the eight groups progressing to the last-16 knockout stage.
Right, so the best 32 teams in the world then?
Well, not exactly. With all due respect to Asia, Africa, North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Oceania, the 32 best club teams on Earth are almost certainly in Europe and South America. But this is a World Cup, so the teams are mainly made up of clubs who have won their respective continental championships over the last four years (so, for example, recent winners of the Champions League get in from Europe).
There are more places for teams from stronger federations such as Europe’s Uefa (12 slots) and South America’s Conmebol (six slots) than weaker federations (Oceania’s OFC gets just one). There are some oddities to the qualifying process though. The US got an extra slot as tournament hosts, meaning their domestic champion from 2024 would qualify. Most fans would say that would be the MLS Cup champion, which is decided after a postseason playoff competition (the 2024 champion was Los Angeles Galaxy). Instead, Fifa decided the team with the best regular-season record would qualify. That just happened to be Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, the most famous player in the world. Make of that what you will.
Another MLS team made it in slightly circuitous fashion. Fifa rules mean that two clubs with the same ownership can’t compete at the tournament. That meant Club Léon were deprived of their slot because another Mexican team at the tournament, Pachuca, are under the same ownership group. That led to a playoff between Los Angeles FC and Club América to decide Léon’s replacement, with LAFC winning.
And then there is Auckland City. The best two teams in New Zealand, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix, play in Australia’s A-League, which is part of the Asian Football Confederation. That means Auckland City, as the winner of the OFC Champions League, grabbed the one slot for Oceania.
Who is playing?
Uefa (Europe)
Chelsea, England (winners of the 2020–21 Uefa Champions League)
Real Madrid, Spain (winners of the 2021–22 Uefa Champions League)
Manchester City, England (winners of the 2022–23 Uefa Champions League)
Bayern Munich, Germany (best-ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Paris Saint-Germain, France (second-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Inter Milan, Italy (fourth-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Porto, Portugal (fifth-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Benfica, Portugal (seventh-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Borussia Dortmund, Germany (Third-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Juventus, Italy (Eighth-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Atlético Madrid, Spain (Sixth-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Red Bull Salzburg, Austria (Ninth-best ranked eligible team in the Uefa four-year ranking)
Caf (Africa)
Al-Ahly, Egypt (winners of the 2020–21 Caf Champions League)
Wydad, Morocco (winners of the 2021–22 Caf Champions League)
Espérance de Tunis, Tunisia (best-ranked eligible team in the Caf four-year ranking)
Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa (second-best ranked eligible team in the Caf four-year ranking)
Concacaf (North, Central America, and the Caribbean)
Monterrey, Mexico (winners of the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League)
Seattle Sounders, USA (winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League)
Pachuca, Mexico (winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup)
Los Angeles FC, USA (winners of play-off match)
Conmebol (South America)
Palmeiras, Brazil (winners of the 2021 Copa Libertadores)
Flamengo, Brazil (winners of the 2022 Copa Libertadores)
Fluminense, Brazil (winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores)
Botafogo, Brazil (winners of the 2024 Copa Libertadores)
River Plate, Argentina (best-ranked eligible team in the Conmebol four-year ranking)
Boca Juniors, Argentina (second-best ranked eligible team in the Conmebol four-year ranking)
AFC (Asia)
Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia (winners of the 2021 AFC Champions League)
Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan (winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League)
Al Ain, UAE (winners of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League)
Ulsan, South Korea (best-ranked eligible team in the AFC four-year ranking)
OFC (Oceania)
Auckland City, New Zealand (best OFC Champions League winners in the OFC four-year ranking)
Host Nation (USA)
Inter Miami, USA (winners of the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield)
The players must be excited about playing in a World Cup?
Playing in the World Cup is the highlight of any player’s career. Playing in the Club World Cup? Not so much. Fifpro, the global players’ union, said adding another month to an already crowded calendar is a health risk. Consider this: a top player in Europe will face having almost no rest in the summer for three consecutive years if they end up playing at Euro 2024, the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup. Oh, and the latter two tournaments will be played in the hottest months in the US as global heating makes conditions a lot tougher.
What kind of prize money is involved?
Quite a lot. The total prize pool for the tournament is $1bn. Yes, with a B. Just over half of that total goes to the clubs just for being there, and different teams have received differently-sized payouts for their participation, depending on where they hail from.
Oceania’s representative gets $3.58m just for showing up. African, Asian, and North American clubs will earn $9.55m, South American sides get $15.21m, while European teams will get anywhere from $12.81m to $38.19m, depending on what Fifa calls “sporting and commercial criteria” (in other words: how famous and good they are).
The remaining $425m is distributed based on performance in the tournament. Teams earn $2m for a win and $1m for a draw in the group stage, $7.5m for making the round of 16, $13.1m for making a quarter-final, $21m for making a semi-final, $30m for making the final, and another $40m for winning the whole dang thing.
It should be noted that the prize money mentioned above is awarded to the teams, not the players. Different teams will distribute the winnings to players differently according to a number of factors, but that doesn’t mean players are happy with that arrangement. In MLS, there is an ongoing dispute between the players and the league over a cap on bonuses that would limit each MLS locker room from receiving more than $1m for the tournament, no matter how well they do. The two sides are currently trading proposals, but the tenor of negotiations hasn’t been all that friendly.
Manchester City, for their part, has been public about not sharing prizes with their players: “Not even a watch,” said Pep Guardiola.
Is there a Trump factor to look out for?
Many see this tournament as a test run for the US’s co-hosting of next year’s World Cup, and the results are already mixed. Donald Trump has issued a travel ban relating to citizens of a number of countries. Athletes participating in the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are exempt from the ban, but it’s still unclear whether that applies to players at the Club World Cup. Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, met Trump in the White House in March when they unveiled the new Club World Cup trophy. Trump could completely ignore the tournament, decide to use it as an excuse for self-promotion – as he has with other sports events such as the Super Bowl – or turn on Fifa for a perceived slight. Say one thing for the man: he’s not easy to predict.
What are the venues?
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California (Capacity: 88,500). Will host group stage and last-16 matches. Historic stadium that is renowned for hosting many college (gridiron) football games and the 1994 and 1999 World Cup finals.
MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey (Capacity: 82,500). Will host group stage matches, quarter-final, both semi-finals and final. This is the everyday home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets, and will be hosting the 2026 World Cup final.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia (Capacity: 75,000). Will host group-stage and last-16 matches as well as a quarter-final. The everyday home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of MLS.
Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, North Carolina (Capacity: 75,000). Will host group-stage and last-16 matches. The usual home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC of MLS.
Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Capacity: 69,000). Will host group-stage and last-16 matches as well as a quarter-final. The usual home of the Philalphia Eagles of the NFL.
Lumen Field – Seattle, Washington (Capacity: 69,000). Will host group-stage matches. The usual home for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, MLS’s Seattle Sounders, and the NWSL’s Reign FC.
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida (Capacity: 65,000). Will host group-stage and last-16 matches. The usual home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida (Capacity: 65,000). Will host group-stage and last-16 matches as well as a quarter-final. Formerly known as the Citrus Bowl, it’s hosted a number of big college gridiron football and in a previous live, games during the 1994 World Cup.
Geodis Park – Nashville, Tennessee (Capacity: 30,000). Group-stage matches. This is the home stadium of MLS side Nashville SC, opened in 2022.
TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio (Capacity: 26,000). Group-stage matches. This is the home stadium of MLS side FC Cincinnati, opened in 2021.
Inter & Co Stadium – Orlando, Florida (Capacity: 25,000). Group-stage matches. The home venue for MLS side Orlando City, opened in 2017.
Audi Field – Washington, DC (Capacity: 20,000). Group-stage matches. The home venue of MLS side DC United, opened in 2018.
Will anyone watch?
The early signs are not great. Consider the tournament’s opening match, between Inter Miami and Al Alhy. Miami are playing in their own city and have one of the greatest players of all time, and yet the match is struggling to sell out with The Athletic reporting that only around 20,000 tickets for the 65,000 capacity Hard Rock Stadium have been sold. If Miami are struggling to sell tickets then it’s worth wondering how many people are going to turn up for Wydad v Al Ain. Having said that, there is huge interest in European giants such as Real Madrid and Chelsea and their games should attract big crowds.
Ten players to keep an eye on:
Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid – Heard of him? The French superstar is facing some degree of questioning after his first season in the Spanish capital ended with no big titles. Would a Club World Cup alleviate those doubts?
Ousmane Dembélé, PSG – The forward was instrumental in helping PSG capture their coveted Champions League title in May, and he’ll presumably continue to be centre to the European champions’ plans in the USA.
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami – The Argentinian superstar has a World Cup to his name, can he add a Club World Cup to that list? Realistically, it may be a tough ask with this Miami team, even with the help of Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez. But it’ll be fun to watch him in a tournament setting again.
Omar Marmoush, Manchester City – The Egyptian made a big impact since joining City in January from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring eight goals in all competitions including a memorable thunderbolt v Bournemouth.
Cole Palmer, Chelsea – Palmer ended his season in great form, even though his overall campaign left something to be desired. The England international leads a Chelsea team stocked with young talent.
Denis Bouanga, LAFC – The Gabon international near-single-handedly dragged LAFC into the tournament with a sublime performance in the one-game play-in versus Club América. Bouanga has long been one of MLS’s most dangerous attackers, and it will be interesting to see him bring it against international competition.
Franco Mastantuono, River Plate (for now) – The 17-year-old Mastantuono is seen as one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in Argentina, so much so that he became the youngest-ever debutant for the Argentinian national team last week. Real Madrid and River Plate are currently locked in transfer talks according to multiple reports – the only question now is if he’ll stay with his current side through the Club World Cup, or move earlier.
Thomas Müller, Bayern Munich – the 35-year-old had already bid goodbye to his home fans, but the Club World Cup will be his last competition in a Bayern Munich shirt. The wily forward will want to go out on another high note, after helping Bayern to another Bundesliga title.
Weston McKennie, Juventus – Playing in his home country for the first time in competitive club matches, there’s almost no telling what role McKennie will play for Juventus. The US international has played in just about every midfield spot and even occasionally at wingback in what was a disappointing season for Juve, which they’ll hope to put behind them with a solid showing.
Estêvão, Palmeiras – The 18-year-old forward, like Mastantuono, is one of his country’s brightest young stars. He’s already earned four senior caps for Brazil and has 13 goals with 12 assists to his name in Brazil’s Serie A. He has agreed to join Chelsea in a transfer after the tournament, so this will be his last chance to make a mark before moving abroad.
Who’s going to win?
So much will depend on how seriously the clubs take the tournament, and which among them are the freshest after a long European season. PSG are a decent bet, given their demolition of Inter in the Champions League final and their collection of young talent that is willing to work. Real Madrid, of course, can never be counted out in a tournament setting, and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be looking to impress in his first actions for his new club. Manchester City closed a disappointing Premier League season in great form.
Is there a chance an outside contender, like Porto, or River Plate, Boca Juniors, or Flamengo could take it? Sure. But given the other sides involved, it’s hard to be all that confident.
Where can I watch?
Every game is streamed worldwide in multiple languages on DAZN.
Channel 5 will show a selection of games, including 16 group-stage matches, four last-16 games, two quarter-finals, one semi-final, and the final.
Fixture details (Irish times)
Group stage
Saturday, June 14th
1am: Al Ahly v Inter Miami – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Sunday, June 15th
5pm: Bayern Munich v Auckland City – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
8pm: PSG v Atlético Madrid – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
11pm: Palmeiras v FC Porto – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
3am: Botafogo v Seattle Sounders – Lumen Field, Seattle
Monday, June 16th
8pm: Chelsea v LAFC – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
11pm: Boca Juniors v Benfica – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
2am: Flamengo v Espérance – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Tuesday, June 17th
5pm: Fluminense v Dortmund – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
8pm: River Plate v Urawa Red Diamonds – Lumen Field, Seattle
11pm: Ulsan v Mamelodi Sundowns – Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando
2am: Monterrey v Internazionale Milano – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Wednesday, June 18th
5pm: Manchester City v Wydad – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
8pm: Real Madrid v Al Hilal – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
11pm: Pachuca v RB Salzburg – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
2am: Al Ain v Juventus – Audi Field, Washington, DC
Thursday, June 19th
5pm: Palmeiras v Al Ahly – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
8pm: Inter Miami v FC Porto – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
11pm: Seattle Sounders v Atlético Madrid – Lumen Field, Seattle
2am: Paris Saint-Germain v Botafogo – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Friday, June 20th
5pm: Benfica v Auckland City – Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando
7pm: CR Flamengo v Chelsea – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
11pm: LAFC v ES Tunis – GEODIS Park, Nashville
2am: Bayern Munich v Boca Juniors – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Saturday, June 21st
5pm: Mamelodi Sundowns v Borussia Dortmund – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
8pm: Internazionale v Urawa Red Diamonds – Lumen Field, Seattle
11pm: Fluminense v Ulsan – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
2am: River Plate v Monterrey – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Sunday, June 22nd
5pm: Juventus v Wydad – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
8pm: Real Madrid v Pachuca – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
11pm: RB Salzburg v Al Hilal – Audi Field, Washington, DC
2am: Manchester City v Al Ain – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Monday, June 23rd
8pm: Seattle Sounders v Paris Saint-Germain – Lumen Field, Seattle
8pm: Atlético Madrid v Botafogo – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
2am: Inter Miami v Palmeiras – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
2am: FC Porto v Al Ahly – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Tuesday, June 24th
8pm: Auckland City v Boca Juniors – GEODIS Park, Nashville
8pm: Benfica v Bayern Munich – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
2am: LAFC v CR Flamengo – Camping World Stadium, Orlando
2am: ES Tunis v Chelsea – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Wednesday, June 25th
8pm: Borussia Dortmund v Ulsan – TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
8pm: Mamelodi Sundowns v Fluminense – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
2am: Internazionale v River Plate – Lumen Field, Seattle
2am: Urawa Red Diamonds v Monterrey – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles
Thursday, June 26th
8pm: Juventus v Manchester City – Camping World Stadium, Orlando
8pm: Wydad v Al Ain – Audi Field, Washington, DC
2am: Al Hilal v Pachuca – GEODIS Park, Nashville
2am: RB Salzburg v Real Madrid – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Round of 16
Saturday, June 28th
5pm: Group A winners v Group B runners-up – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
9pm: Group C winners v Group D runners-up – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Sunday, June 29th
5pm: Group B winners v Group A runners-up – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
9pm: Group D winners v Group C runners-up – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Monday, June 30th
8pm: Group E winners v Group F runners-up – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
2am: Group G winners v Group H runners-up – Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Tuesday, July 1st
8pm: Group H winners v Group G runners-up – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
2am: Group F winners v Group E runners-up – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Quarter-finals
Friday, July 4th
8pm: Quarter-final 1 – Camping World Stadium, Orlando
2am: Quarter-final 2 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Saturday, July 5th
5pm: Quarter-final 3 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
9pm: Quarter-final 4 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Semi-finals
Tuesday, July 8th
8pm: Semi-final 1 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Wednesday, July 9th
8pm: Semi-final 2 – MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
Final
Sunday, July 13th
8pm: MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey
– Guardian
