This is the newest trophy in international club football. © APA / ORLANDO RAMIREZ

The Club World Cup: 32 teams, full program, mega prize money

The latest mega-project in international football will kick off on June 14. Europe's elite – including defending champions Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Inter – will compete against the top teams from North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania at the Club World Cup in the USA.

June 10, 2025

From: dpa/apa

FIFA has set aside one billion US dollars in prize money for the tournament—more than ever before. $525 million will be distributed among the 32 teams as entry fees, based on a fixed allocation.

The twelve European participants receive by far the largest share of the pie, with further divisions within this group. The heavyweights receive up to €38,190 million, while smaller clubs like Salzburg have to make do with €12,81 million in entry fees. The reason for this unequal distribution is a ranking weighted according to sporting and commercial criteria. Accordingly, the top clubs on the UEFA list receive up to ten times as much as Auckland City from Oceania.

The tournament will be held every four years, modeled on the World Cup for national teams. The top two teams from each of eight groups of four will advance to the round of 87,6, with the champion being determined from the round of XNUMX onward. There will be prize money for every win and draw, and even more money in the knockout phase—up to a maximum of $XNUMX million for the World Cup title.

Champions League winner Ousmane Dembele is one of the tournament's stars. © APA/afp / FRANCK FIFE

A total of up to €125,8 million is possible for the winner of the premiere, provided they come from Europe. By comparison, Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain generated around €140 million in prize money, but had to play 17 matches to achieve this.

Most of the matches will take place on the US East Coast to at least somewhat mitigate travel stress. The opening match at the Hard Rock Stadium between Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi, and Al-Ahly will take place on June 15, starting at 4.00:13 a.m. Central European Time. The final will take place on July XNUMX in the massive MetLife Stadium outside New York.

No release obligation during the Club World Cup

Normally, only two teams per nation are allowed to compete. However, if more than two clubs from a country have won the highest continental competition (e.g., Champions League, Copa Libertadores) in the relevant four-year period, the quota increases accordingly. Notable names among the South American participants include Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, River Plate, and Boca Juniors. From Europe, the winners of the 2021 to 2024 Champions League are included, plus the nine other best teams of the period. The limit of two teams per country meant that clubs such as Liverpool, FC Barcelona, ​​Napoli, and Milan missed out on participation.

The final will take place in New York's MetLife Stadium © APA/getty / AL BELLO

Criticism of the spectacle is loud and comes from various quarters. The football union FIFPRO complained months ago that the pressure on players was already enormous. A new tournament would mean further stress, they said. This is especially true given that important events for national teams are scheduled shortly before, after, or even parallel to the Club World Cup: the UEFA Nations League finals, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the U21 European Championship. FIFA has even sacrificed a sacred cow for the latter two: the release requirement has been summarily suspended for the duration of the Club World Cup, weakening the position of the national associations.

Is transfer chaos looming?

It will also be interesting to see how the player market behaves. FIFA has granted an additional transfer window from June 1 to 10 for Club World Cup participants to accommodate departures before the official summer window opens. Some contracts expire on June 30, so players could theoretically be forced to leave their team during the tournament. However, a player may not play for one club until June 30 and then play for another club that is also participating in the Club World Cup from July 1.