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The United States will be the epicentre of the 2025 Club World Cup: MetLife Stadium will host the final.

It's official: the 2025 Club World Cup will be played in the United States and promises to be a tournament that will mark a before and after in the history of club football. FIFA has revealed the twelve stadiums that will host the matches of the revamped tournament, which will feature a completely different format to what we are used to. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been quick to describe the new edition as ‘a new era for club football’.

The tournament, which kicks off on 15 June and runs until 13 July, will culminate at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, the same venue that will also host the World Cup final in 2026. This edition of the Club World Cup is of great importance, as it will be the first time it will be played in the new expanded format, and its staging will be key to consolidating it on the world football calendar.

The luxury venues in the USA

MetLife Stadium will not be the only stadium to dress up for the tournament. Eleven more venues across the United States will host the world's best clubs in the quest for the title. These include the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Other venues such as Audi Field in Washington D.C. and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will also be part of this spectacular celebration of football.

Each of these stadiums has been carefully selected to ensure a unique experience for fans. The growth of football in the United States has been unstoppable in recent years, and this event represents yet another opportunity to consolidate the beautiful game in North America.

The big challenge: selling TV rights

Despite the excitement surrounding the tournament, FIFA still has a major challenge ahead of it: the sale of the audiovisual rights. So far, bids for the rights to broadcast the tournament have been few and far between, which has set alarm bells ringing in the organisation. However, an unexpected ally has appeared on the scene to help solve this problem.

Manchester City, one of the world's most powerful clubs, has offered to help promote the tournament and facilitate the sale of TV rights. Ferran Soriano, City's general manager, has held talks with FIFA and, according to sources close to him, has shown his full willingness to support the broadcasting of the event. It has even been mentioned that Soriano participated in a videoconference organised by Infantino in which possible strategies to attract broadcasters were discussed.

Manchester City is no stranger to such initiatives, and its involvement in promoting the Club World Cup underlines the importance that elite teams are attaching to the tournament, which aims to become one of the most prestigious competitions on the calendar.

Historic prize money

If one thing is clear, it is that FIFA is betting big on the 2025 Club World Cup, not only in terms of organisation and format, but also financially. The prize money will be approximately €2 billion, an impressive figure compared to the mere €16 million that was handed out for the 2023 edition.

This considerable increase in prize money reflects FIFA's ambition to attract the best teams in the world and make the tournament a truly global benchmark. The new format, which will include clubs from all confederations, will offer the possibility for teams from Africa, Asia, Oceania and Central America to take on the giants of Europe and South America, something Infantino has highlighted as a crucial step for the development of football worldwide.

Club football enters a new era

The 2025 Club World Cup will not only be a sporting event, but also a spectacle that promises to raise the level of club football internationally. According to Infantino, this inclusive, merit-based tournament will allow football to continue to grow and develop talent in all regions of the world.

Much remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the United States will be the epicentre of club football in 2025. The world's best teams will come together in a tournament that seeks to revolutionise the football landscape, both on and off the field. With world-class stadiums, an innovative format and prize money that could change the history of some clubs, the Club World Cup promises to be an event that no fan will want to miss.