 "Lionel Messi will be in action on the opening day of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as Inter Miami face Egyptian club Al Ahly. Image: AP")
The United States of America will be playing host to two of the biggest global football events in consecutive years, the first of which gets underway in the early hours of Saturday. The 21st edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will be getting underway on 14 June, and it is the match between Egyptian Premier League’s Al Ahly and Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami – the team that qualified on the basis of the host nation’s spot – getting the ball rolling.
The ongoing summer, after all, will witness the debut of the expanded Club World Cup where the number of participating teams has been increased to 32 from 7. And what better a way for FIFA to kickstart an ambitious project than by having the legendary Lionel Messi, who has been the face of Inter Miami since the summer of 2023, in action on the opening day.
The tournament also includes Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, the two teams that had faced off in the UEFA Champions League final last month in which the former had won by a thumping margin. Also in action are other major clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, etc. Five-time European champions Barcelona are a notable absentee from the tournament.
While USA will co-host next year’s FIFA World Cup with Mexico and Canada, it will be hosting the Club World Cup on its own with matches set to take place at 12 venues across 11 American cities, including the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (venue for the final), Rose Bowl Stadium in California, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia.
When and where will the opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup take place?
The opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup between Al Ahly and Inter Miami will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA at 5.30 am IST (8 pm local time/12 am GMT).
Where can I watch the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in India, USA and UK?
FIFA had in December 2024 announced sports streaming platform DAZN as the home of the 2025 Club World Cup, meaning fans all over the world including in India, USA and UK can watch matches for free on this platform. Additionally, matches will be telecast on channels such as TNT, TBS, and truTV in the United States and on 5 in the UK.
What is the format of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four, and teams will play the remaining clubs in their group on a round-robin basis. Top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage that begins with the Round of 16, which will then be followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Full schedule of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Here’s the full schedule for the tournament that will be taking place from 14 June to 13 July:
Sunday, June 15
Group A: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami - 5:30 AM
Group C: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City - 9:30 PM
Monday, June 16
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs Atlético Madrid - 12:30 AM
Group A: Palmeiras vs Porto - 3:30 AM
Group B: Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders - 7:30 AM
Tuesday, June 17
Group D: Chelsea vs. LAFC - 12:30 AM
Group C: Boca Juniors vs Benfica - 3:30 AM
Group D: Flamengo vs Espérance Sportive de Tunis - 6:30 AM
Group F: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund - 9:30 PM
Wednesday, June 18
Group E: River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds - 12:30 AM
Group F: Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns - 3:30 AM
Group E: Monterrey vs Inter Milan - 6:30 AM
Group G: Manchester City vs Wydad AC - 9:30 PM
Thursday, June 19
Group H: Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal - 12:30 AM
Group H: Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg - 3:30 AM
Group G: Al Ain vs Juventus - 6:30 AM
Group A: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly
Friday, June 20
Group A: Inter Miami vs Porto - 12:30 AM
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs Atlético Madrid - 3:30 AM
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs Botafogo - 6:30 AM
Group C: Benfica vs Auckland City - 9:30 PM
Group D: Flamengo vs Chelsea - 11:30 PM
Saturday, June 21
Group D: LAFC vs Espérance Sportive de Tunis - 3:30 AM
Group C: Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors - 6:30 AM
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund - 9:30 PM
Sunday, June 22
Group E: Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamonds - 12:30 AM
Group F: Fluminense vs Ulsan HD - 3:30 AM
Group E: River Plate vs Monterrey - 6:30 AM
Group G: Juventus vs Wydad AC - 9:30 PM
Monday, June 23
Group H: Real Madrid vs Pachuca - 12:30 AM
Group H: Red Bull Salzburg vs Al-Hilal - 3:30 AM
Group G: Manchester City vs Al Ain - 6:30 AM
Tuesday, June 24
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs Paris Saint-Germain - 12:30 AM
Group B: Atlético Madrid vs Botafogo - 12:30 AM
Group A: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras - 6:30 AM
Group A: Porto vs Al Ahly - 6:30 AM
Wednesday, June 25
Group C: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors - 12:30 AM
Group C: Benfica vs Bayern Munich - 12:30 AM
Group D: LAFC vs Flamengo - 6:30 AM
Group D: Espérance Sportive de Tunis vs Chelsea - 6:30 AM
Thursday, June 26
Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD - 12:30 AM
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense - 12:30 AM
Group E: Inter Milan vs River Plate - 6:30 AM
Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey - 6:30 AM
Friday, June 27
Group G: Juventus vs Manchester City - 12:30 AM
Group G: Wydad AC vs Al Ain - 12:30 AM
Group H: Al-Hilal vs Pachuca - 6:30 AM
Group H: Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid - 6:30 AM
Saturday, June 28
Winner of Group A vs Runner-up Group B - 9:30 PM
Sunday, June 29
Winner of Group C vs Runner-up Group D - 1:30 AM
Winner of Group E vs Runner-up Group F - 9:30 PM
Monday, June 30
Winner Group G vs Runner-up Group H - 1:30 AM
Tuesday, July 1
Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A - 12:30 AM
Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group C - 6:30 AM
Wednesday, July 2
Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group E - 12:30 AM
Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group G - 6:30 AM
Saturday, July 5
Quarter-final 1 - 12:30 AM
Quarter-final 2 - 6:30 AM
Quarter-final 3 - 9:30 PM
Sunday, July 6
Quarter-final 4 - 1:30 AM
Wednesday, July 9
Semi-final 1 - 12:30 AM
Thursday, July 10
Semi-final 1 - 12:30 AM
Monday, July 14
Club World Cup Final - 12:30 AM