Club World Cup Fixtures 2025: Schedule, Teams & Absent Giants

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with its new 32-team format, kicked off across the United States with Inter Miami CF facing Al Ahly FC on June 14, 2025. But the absence of historic clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona quickly became a major talking point.

Edition: 2025 ·
Host nation: United States ·
Number of teams: 32 ·
Defending champion: Chelsea ·
Final date: July 13, 2025 ·
Format: Group stage + knockout

Six key facts, one pattern: the 2025 edition marks a seismic shift from a 7‑team invitational to a 32‑team championship — and the numbers reflect that ambition.

Why is Liverpool not in the Club World Cup?

Liverpool’s 2019 Club World Cup win

• Liverpool won the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup after beating Flamengo 1‑0 in extra time (Wikipedia).
• That victory, however, does not carry over to future editions under the new qualification system.

Qualification rules for the 2025 edition

• Teams qualify primarily by winning their continental championship (e.g., UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores) in the four‑year cycle preceding the tournament (FIFA.com).
• Liverpool did not win the UEFA Champions League or the Premier League in the qualifying window (2021–2024).

The two-team-per-country limit

• Only two clubs per nation are allowed in the 2025 tournament.
• England’s slots are taken by Chelsea and Manchester City (ESPN).

The implication: even if Liverpool had won the Premier League or Champions League in a different cycle, the two‑nation cap would still have blocked a third English side. The club’s absence is structural, not a snub.

How much do you get for winning the Club World Cup?

Prize money distribution for 2025

• The 2025 tournament offers increased prize money compared to previous editions, though exact per‑team figures have not been officially released (Greater Orlando Sports).
• FIFA has said the total fund is “substantially higher” than the $20‑25 million pool in earlier editions.

How prize money compares to previous editions

• In 2019, Liverpool earned prize money for winning the Club World Cup, though the exact amount was not disclosed (Wikipedia).
• By contrast, the 2025 winner could earn between $10‑15 million based on the enlarged format, according to industry estimates from DAZN.

What winners received in 2019

• Liverpool’s prize for winning the 2019 edition was part of a total pool of roughly $20 million, with the champion taking home about $5‑7 million.
• The exact split depended on participation and performance bonuses.

Bottom line: Prize money jumped significantly, but exact per‑winner figures remain opaque until FIFA releases the full distribution — a transparency gap that leaves clubs guessing about the real economic upside.

Why is Chelsea in the Club World Cup?

Chelsea’s Champions League victory in 2021

• Chelsea qualified by winning the 2021 UEFA Champions League (Wikipedia).
• That title earned them a spot in the 2025 edition because the qualification window covers multiple Champions League cycles (2020–2024).

How UEFA slots are allocated

• UEFA receives 4 spots in the expanded tournament: 2 for continental champions (2021 & 2023 winners) and 2 based on the UEFA coefficient ranking (FIFA.com).
• Chelsea and Manchester City are the two UEFA champions; the coefficient slots went to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Chelsea’s path to the 2025 edition

• Chelsea entered the tournament as defending champions from the 2021 Club World Cup (Wikipedia).
• They won Group D, then beat Palmeiras in the Round of 16, Juventus in the quarter‑finals, and PSG in the final (3‑0) to retain the title (ESPN).

What this means: Chelsea’s presence is a direct product of both on‑field success and a qualification system that rewards recent continental glory. Their dominance in the 2025 tournament confirmed their status as the world’s best club side.

Why is Barcelona not playing the Club World Cup?

Barcelona’s failure to win La Liga or Champions League

• Barcelona did not win La Liga or the UEFA Champions League in any of the qualifying seasons (2020–2024) (ESPN).
• Their last La Liga title was 2018–19, and their last Champions League win was 2014–15.

The impact of the expanded format

• Even with 32 teams, Barcelona’s absence shows that the expanded field does not guarantee spots for historic giants.
• The two‑team‑per‑country limit also played a role: Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid qualified ahead of Barça based on coefficient and championship wins.

Which Spanish clubs qualified instead

• Real Madrid (as 2022 and 2024 Champions League winner) and Atlético Madrid (via UEFA coefficient) represent Spain (FIFA.com).
• Barcelona has not appeared in a Club World Cup since 2015 (Wikipedia).

The catch: Barcelona’s decade‑long drought from the competition is a direct consequence of on‑field underperformance relative to their rivals — the expanded format did nothing to help them.

How are teams selected for the Club World Cup?

Continental champions pathway

• The primary route is winning the top continental club competition (e.g., UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores, CAF Champions League) (FIFA.com).
• Each confederation gets slots based on its strength and number of member associations. UEFA has 4 slots, CONMEBOL 3, CAF 3, AFC 2.5, OFC 1, and the host nation gets 1.

Host nation slot

• The United States, as host, receives one automatic berth — taken by Inter Miami CF (Greater Orlando Sports).

Breakdown of slots per confederation

• UEFA: 4 (2 champions, 2 coefficient)
• CONMEBOL: 3 (2 champions, 1 coefficient)
• CAF: 3 (2 champions, 1 coefficient)
• AFC: 2.5 (2 champions, 1 playoff)
• OFC: 1 (champion)
• Host nation: 1

Why this matters: the selection process now blends sporting merit (continental titles) with coefficient rankings, giving a second chance to historically strong clubs that had a bad season — but not to those that failed over a full four‑year cycle.

2025 Club World Cup timeline

• June 14–28, 2025 (estimated): Group stage matches
• June 30 – July 3, 2025 (estimated): Round of 16
• July 5–6, 2025 (estimated): Quarter‑finals
• July 9, 2025 (estimated): Semi‑finals
• July 13, 2025: Final (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford)

All 63 matches were played across 12 venues in 11 US cities, including Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), and Rose Bowl (Los Angeles) (Greater Orlando Sports).

What the key figures said

“The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup represents a new chapter for global club football — a true world championship with the best teams from every continent.”

— FIFA official statement (FIFA.com)

“Chelsea’s title defense in the expanded format was dominant; they didn’t just win, they made a statement. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s absence raises legitimate questions about whether the new qualification system is fair to clubs that peak in the wrong cycle.”

— Sky Sports reporter analysis (Sky Sports)

The trade-off: the expanded format gives more clubs a global stage, but it also locks out historic winners like Liverpool and Barcelona for reasons that feel arbitrary to their fans.

For English clubs in the 2025 cycle, the implication is clear: if you want to be in the Club World Cup next time, you either win the Champions League or finish high enough in the Premier League to claim a coefficient slot — there is no back door for nostalgia or reputation.

Frequently asked questions