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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentSep 28, 2024, 06:32 PM ET
- Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.
FIFA announced the 12 venues that will host the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday, with MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosting the final July 13. The tournament will begin June 15.
That venue will be joined by Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tennessee), Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle) and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).
“Football is the most popular sport on the planet, and in 2025 a new era for club football will kick off when FIFA stages the greatest, most inclusive and merit-based global club competition right here in the United States,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who made the announcement at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York. “The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will feature 12 fantastic stadiums where a new chapter in football’s global history will be written by great players from the 32 best clubs in the world.”
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The draw is set to take pace in December, and only two qualifiers have yet to be named, one from South American and one from the U.S. Further information regarding the draw, which will see the 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four, will be released in due course.
The Club World Cup is being played primarily on the East Coast to avoid any clash with 2025 Gold Cup matches being centered on the West Coast from June 14 to July 6. The Seattle Sounders’ qualification to the Club World Cup complicated the logistics, prompting FIFA to include Lumen Field as a host venue, sources told ESPN.
FIFA has faced backlash from other entities in soccer for the organization of this tournament, including FIFPRO and the Professional Footballers’ Association in England, as many raise concerns over schedule congestion and an increase in games. The Premier League, in particular, questioned the timing of the tournament during the summer window, a time frame normally used for international windows, sources told ESPN.
Despite concerns, Infantino greenlit the competition for 2025 and implemented several changes. The upcoming edition of the competition will now see 32 teams compete, after FIFA announced an expansion from its seven-club format in 2023
Infantino continued. “This new FIFA competition is the only true example in worldwide club football of real solidarity and inclusivity, allowing the best clubs from Africa, Asia, Central and North America and Oceania to play the powerhouses of Europe and South America in an incredible new World Cup which will impact enormously the growth of club football and talent globally.
“This is about opportunity and hope for those who need it most, and also about prestige and true football for those who make our sport shine. My thanks go to all.”
