Benfica and Porto confirmed for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in U.S.
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Portugal’s Benfica and FC Porto will take part in the first edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, which will be held from June 15 to July 13, 2025, announced the FIFA Council on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
FIFA said the 32-team tournament, which will officially be called Mundial de Clubes, would be “harmoniously aligned with the International Match Calendar” to ensure there would be enough of a gap between the final and the start of domestic leagues.
Europe will be represented by 12 teams, including the last four UEFA Champion League winners – England’s Chelsea (2020/21), Spain’s Real Madrid (2021/22), England’s Manchester City (2022/23), and the 2023/24 winner, which is still to be determined.
Germany’s Bayern Munich, France’s Paris Saint-Germain and Italy’s Inter Milan are also confirmed participants.
FIFA also confirmed three of the four CONCACAF representatives – Mexico’s C.F. Monterrey, Seattle Sounders FC and Mexico’s Club Leon.
Six teams will represent South America in the tournament. Brazil’s Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense are all confirmed participants.
FIFA also confirmed that Egypt’s Al Ahlt and Morocco’s Wydad are among the four teams representing Africa. Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds are two of the four teams representing Asia. New Zealand’s Auckland City has also been confirmed to represent Oceania.
A team from the United States, the host country, will be chosen to complete the 32-team field.
The competition will feature a first group stage with eight groups of four teams, with the top two from each group qualifying for the knockout stage (round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final) in a single match.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Benfica and Porto confirmed for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in U.S.
