The inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, a highly controversial tournament, will begin next summer in the United States. Thursday’s draw pitted major international football clubs against one another in a highly anticipated matchup.

Chelsea will encounter Esperance Sportive de Tunis and Brazilian side Flamengo in Group D of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The English club will kick off their campaign against Mexican team Club Leon.

This new 32-team competition, set to take place in the United States next summer, has been promoted by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, although it currently faces two legal challenges in Europe involving players’ union FIFPRO.

Chelsea and Manchester City qualified for the tournament as the 2023 and 2021 Champions League winners, respectively. Notably, the two clubs were kept apart in the group stage draw due to FIFA’s regional constraints.

The tournament will commence on June 15, 2025, with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami opening the event against Egyptian club Al Ahly at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Group A also includes Palmeiras and FC Porto.

In a showcase prior to the draw, FIFA unveiled the innovative new Club World Cup trophy, designed in collaboration with global luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and former Brazil striker Ronaldo presented the trophy to the public.

The Club World Cup will unfold over 29 days, concluding with the final on July 13. The tournament format mirrors that of the FIFA World Cup, featuring eight groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, which will include the last-16 round, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. Notably, there will be no third-place play-off between the two losing semi-finalists.

The 2025 Club World Cup takes place in the United States across 12 stadiums:

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
• Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
• TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
• Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles)
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
• GEODIS Park (Nashville)
• Camping World Stadium (Orlando)
• Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando)
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
• Lumen Field (Seattle)
• Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)

Controversially, one spot in the tournament is reserved for a club from the host nation, which FIFA awarded to Inter Miami. Despite winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield during the regular season, the team did not advance to the playoffs, making their selection a point of contention.

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Matches will be held at 12 venues across the US, which, along with Canada and Mexico, will also host the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFA Club World Cup will now occur once every four years, a shift from its previous annual format which included only seven teams. Streaming platform DAZN has secured the exclusive broadcasting rights for next summer’s tournament, which will feature 63 matches over 29 days.

Complete Draw for FIFA Club World Cup 2025

• Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
• Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
• Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
• Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, Club Leon
• Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
• Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns
• Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
• Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg

Trump’s message

The audience at the FIFA Club World Cup draw in Miami watched a pre-recorded video message from US president-elect Donald Trump in which he said soccer is going “through the roof.”

Ivanka Trump, her husband, Jared Kushner, and their son, Theo, were among those at the event to draw groups for the expanded 32-team tournament that will be played in the United States next year.

Trump complimented FIFA president Infantino in his address.

“I will try and be there if I can, I would. We’ll see what happens. But I just want to say you’re led by a man named Gianni. I just know him as Gianni and he’s a winner and he’s the president, and I’m the president,” he said.

“We’ve known each other a long time, and I’m so honoured to have this kind of a relationship because soccer is going through the roof. As everybody knows, it’s been doing fantastically well.”

Trump also noted the 2026 men’s World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“I want to say my highest regards in respect to Gianni, and it’s an honour to be with you and we’ll be with you very soon,” Trump said.

“And we’re going to be watching the World Cup, very importantly, also very soon. And I was very responsible, along with Gianni in getting it. And it’s going to be a fantastic thing.”