FIFA’s Club World Cup, featuring some of the best soccer clubs in the world, kicks off at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, June 14, with Inter Miami facing Al Ahly, an Egyptian soccer club.
The tournament features some of soccer’s biggest stars, like Lionel Messi and iconic teams like Spain’s Real Madrid.
FIFA hopes the newly created four-yearly event will be to club soccer what the World Cup is to international soccer.
How long is the tournament?
The tournament runs from Saturday, June 14, through July 13, with the final being played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
What is the format?
The Club World Cup has been expanded from seven teams to 32 and will emulate the men’s and women’s World Cups. Eight groups of four teams will play in a round robin mini league, with the top two advancing to a knockout stage, which runs from the round of 16 through to the final.
Where is it being played?
It is played in the U.S.; host cities include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Which teams are participating?
Some of Europe’s biggest teams will take part, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, this year’s Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and runner-up Inter Milan.
From South America, top Brazilian clubs Fluminense, Flamengo, Palmeiras and Botafogo—all recent winners of Copa Libertadores, South America’s top club competition—will participate, while River Plate and Boca Juniors will represent Argentina.
Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and LAFC lead the U.S. charge. Mexico is represented by Monterrey and Pachuca, while top teams from Asia, Africa and the Oceana are also taking part.
Notable absentees
European giants like Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United, who failed to meet FIFA’s convoluted qualifying criteria based on winning continental titles like the Champions League over the previous four years and ranking points.
Countries are also limited to two entrants unless they have more than two winners of continental titles.
Who are the players to watch?
Messi will get the chance to add to his trophy collection, though Inter Miami is considered a rank outsider to be crowned world champion.
Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham are in Madrid’s star-studded squad, while Manchester City has Erling Haaland and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. Harry Kane, Lautaro Martínez, Ousmane Dembele and Champions League final player of the match Désiré Doué will also be there.
Border patrol will be at the Club World Cup
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it regularly provides security at big sporting events in response to questions about the agency’s presence at the FIFA Club World Cup amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The agency had previously deleted a social media post that said its officers would be “suited and booted” for the opening round this weekend of Club World Cup games.
Prize money
With a total prize fund of $1 billion, the winner of the Club World Cup could earn $125 million.
FIFA said in March that it had allocated $525 million in guaranteed fees for teams taking part. That ranges from $38.19 million to the top-ranked European team to $3.58 million for the representative from Oceania, Auckland City.
A further $475 million is earned by results in the 63 games, with $2 million paid for winning group stage games, $7.5 million for playing in the round of 16 and $40 million to the team that wins the final.
A point to prove
The old version of the Club World Cup, which was played yearly, was dominated by European teams in recent times. Only Brazilian team Corinthians broke Europe’s winning run in 17 years.
An expanded tournament will give more South American teams the chance to test themselves against their European counterparts.
Inter Miami has already announced itself to the world after luring Messi and Luis Suarez to MLS and can further enhance its reputation.
Tickets
If you want to be a part of it, tickets are available at FIFA.com/tickets.
On Ticketmaster, FIFA’s official ticketing partner for the Club World Cup, the least expensive tickets to the opener were $349 in December.
As of Thursday, there were tickets available for just under $80.
The least expensive ticket for July’s tournament final available through Ticketmaster was $769.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged fans to buy tickets at a hype event in the leadup to the tournament this week.
“Be part of history,” he said. “Football is such an important sport all over the world. We have billions of people watching this Club World Cup from home who would love to club and to attend.”
