Beijing time, from June 15 to July 14, 2025, the first new version of the Club World Cup will be held in the United States. Unlike the old version of the Club World Cup, which is the Intercontinental Cup, the Club World Cup is held every four years, with a total of 32 teams participating. The total prize money for the Club World Cup is $1 billion, of which the champion can receive a prize of $125 million.
The first new version of the Club World Cup has gathered top teams from all continents, especially European traditional giants such as Real Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus, Dortmund, and the two participating teams in the Champions League final this season – champion Paris Saint-Germain and runner-up Inter Milan will also play.
How do 32 teams emerge?
Among the 32 participating teams, 12 of Europe have the most, 6 of South America have the second most, 4 teams each in Asia, Africa, Central and North America and the Caribbean have participated, 1 team in Oceania and 1 team in the host country.
The 32 teams that have qualified for the competition are the top intercontinental championships in each continent in the past four seasons (2021-2024), and are allocated according to the ranking method set by FIFA. At the same time, the participating association can have up to 2 clubs to participate, but if the clubs under the association have more than 2 clubs to win the championship in the continent’s top intercontinental competitions within 4 years, the restrictions can be broken.
The specific rules are as follows:
Continents with more than 4 seats: Champions in the past 4 seasons are directly entered, and other teams are ranked;
Continents with 4 seats: Champions in the past 4 seasons are directly entered;
Continents with 1 seat: The highest-ranked champions in the past 4 seasons are included;
Taking the 12 places in Europe as an example As Champions League champions in the past four seasons, Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid directly advanced to the top 32 of the Club World Cup. The remaining 9 places are allocated according to the Champions League points ranking. Due to the fact that “the participating association can have up to 2 clubs to participate, but if the clubs under the association have more than 2 clubs to win the championship of the top intercontinental events in the continent within 4 years, the restrictions can be broken.” The Premier League and La Liga have Chelsea and Manchester City, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid as representatives, which directly leads to the fact that the Champions League points are notThe low Liverpool and Barcelona missed this game, and the “unlucky guys” who missed the Club World Cup were also due to this regulation. There were Red Bull Leipzig, Naples, Sevilla and AC Milan. In the end, Red Bull Salzburg, ranked 18th in the Champions League points, successfully qualified for the Club World Cup. The giants who missed the Club World Cup include Arsenal and Manchester United.
The match system is similar to the World Cup
The match system is similar to the World Cup. The 32 teams participating in the club World Cup will be divided into 8 groups, with 4 teams in each group. A single round-robin system will be adopted. The top two teams in each group will advance to the top 16. If the points are the same, first compare the results of each other, then compare the goal difference of each other, and then the number of goals scored by each other. From the top 16 to the final, all adopt a single-game winning system, and there is no third place battle.
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Cairo Nationals (Egypt), Miami International Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Gulfmen
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City (New Zealand), Boca Youth, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Tunisia Hope (Tunisia), Chelsea, Los Angeles FC
Group E: River Bed , Urawa Red Diamond, Monterrey (Mexico), Inter Milan Group F: Fruminense, Dortmund, Ulsan Hyundai, Mamlodi Sunset (South Africa) Group G: Manchester City, Vidard (Morocco), Abu Dhabi Ain, Juventus Group H: Real Madrid, Riyadh Crescent, Pachuca (Mexico), Salzburg The first new version of the Club World Cup will be held in 12 stadiums in 12 cities in the United States. The group stage will last from June 15 to June 27. In the opening game, Miami International led by Messi faced Cairo Nationals. The game kicked off at 8 a.m. Beijing time on June 15, with the game location at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The knockout stage will last from June 29 to July 14, and the final will start at 3 a.m. Beijing time on July 14 at the Metropolitan Life Stadium in New York. It is worth mentioning that the Metropolitan Life Stadium in New York will also be the final venue for the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup.
The top 32 share a bonus of $1 billion
This year’s Club World Cup has a generous bonus, and the champion will receive $125 million, far exceeding the amount of championship prizes in previous Club World Cups. In addition, the prize pool for the entire event is as high as US$1 billion, shared by 32 participating teams, and the total number of Qatar World Cup in 2022The bonus is only $440 million.
The $1 billion prize includes $525 million in fixed participation bonus and $475 million in game results bonus. In terms of the prize money for the competition, the amounts obtained by clubs on different continents vary. For example, the 12 participating teams in Europe will share the highest amount based on competitive performance and commercial value, with a minimum amount of US$12.81 million and a maximum amount of US$38.19 million. The six participating teams in South America will each receive US$15.21 million, with a total of 12 teams in Asia, Africa, Central and North America and the Caribbean, each receiving US$9.55 million, and an Oceania team receiving US$3.58 million.
In terms of game results and bonuses, each win in the group stage, and a draw in the game of $1 million; if you enter the quarterfinals, you will get $7.5 million, you will get $13.125 million, you will get $21 million in the semi-finals; if you enter the finals, you will get $30 million, and the team that will win the championship will get an additional $40 million.
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