The FIFA Club World Cup is about to kick off on June 14th. The competition has undergone a major overhaul. What was once a brief, seven-team tier has now exploded into a full-blown international tournament with 32 clubs, 63 matches and an entire month featuring top-level football. Being hosted in the United States for the first time, the 2025 edition promises to be a spectacle.

The tournament is set to open at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, where Inter Miami is set to face Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly. The final will be held a month later, on July 13, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In between, fans will witness 32 teams battling it out across eight groups and a 16-team knockout stage. This version of the Club World Cup mirrors the format of the FIFA World Cup for national teams. Eight groups of four teams will compete in a round-robin group stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout rounds. It’s a dramatic leap from the old format, where only seven clubs took part and everything wrapped up in under two weeks. Which is exactly why the new format has come under scrutiny for its tight schedule - critics argue that this leaves players with little time to breathe, as the regular season will start from August.

With elite European clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG, Atletico Madrid, and Real Madrid featuring in the competition, the competition is stacked with an intense football showcase. Europe’s dominance in past editions is hard to ignore-UEFA clubs have won 16 of the 20 tournaments so far. South American giants like Corinthians and Sao Paulo, the only other confederation to have lifted the trophy, will also be eyeing glory, but their chances are quite slim considering the challenge from European clubs. But this expanded format brings in underdogs from Africa, Asia, North America and across the globe. Clubs like Wydad AC of Morocco, Al Ahly of Egypt, and Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan have everything to prove and nothing to lose. While the odds may be against them, the group stage matchups could provide a platform for surprises.

The competition will also deal with great star power. Lionel Messi will take the centre stage with Inter Miami. But fans hoping for a final clash of titans will be disappointed, as Cristiano Ronaldo, who just lifted his international trophy with Portugal after winning the Nations League, would not feature in the tournament. Inter Miami’s presence itself is controversial: they did not win the MLS, they were granted a spot after winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield - an invitation, as the hosting nation gets to call one team of their choice, a move many see as FIFA’s push to spotlight Messi in this competition.

Meanwhile, some major names are surprisingly absent. Barcelona, Liverpool, and Napoli-recent champions in their leagues-failed to it because of a mix of FIFA’s four-year club coefficient system and confederation limits. Barca’s exclusion is especially shocking, given they’re La Liga champions. But with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid already qualified, Spain hit the two-team cap. The same system left out top talent like Yamal, Salah, and Raphinha, who will not be seen on the U.S. grounds this summer.

With 63 games in under 30 days, the tournament promises relentless action, but that comes at a cost. Player fatigue is already a hot topic, with stars and coaches voicing concern about the packed schedule and limited rest. Clubs now face the dual challenge of maintaining intensity while protecting player health. Since the prize money is quite lucrative, clubs will try to battle for it and not take it easy.

To ease the pressure slightly, FIFA has allowed a special transfer window ahead of the tournament, letting clubs tweak their squads last minute. Still, the physical toll of back-to-back games in the summer heat could cause immense fatigue to the players.

Behind the scenes, this expanded format is also about business. With more matches, more teams, and more global attention, the financial stakes have skyrocketed. Each participating club is guaranteed $10 million just for participating-a number that reflects how much FIFA is betting on this tournament’s future.

For FIFA, this tournament is a golden opportunity to build sponsorship deals, boost broadcasting rights, and test the U.S. market ahead of the 2026 Men’s World Cup. The Club World Cup may not have the same prestige yet, but with names like Messi headlining, it is being shaped as a blockbuster event that can attract many more fans.

Manchester City, the reigning Club World Cup champions, begin their title defence on June 18, facing Wydad AC. Their journey will be closely watched as they try to repeat amid a much tougher field. Meanwhile, teams from less dominant regions will hope the expanded format finally gives them a real shot at making history.

Even with all the excitement, questions about fairness and selection criteria linger. The inclusion of Inter Miami and the exclusion of league champions like Barcelona fuel criticism that this version of the Club World Cup is more marketing exercise than meritocracy.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is undeniably bigger and more ambitious than anything we have seen before in club football. It brings new energy, fresh matchups, and the global game to United States soil on an unprecedented scale. But with it comes real questions: about player welfare, tournament legitimacy, and FIFA’s true priorities.

Still, one thing is certain-starting from June 14, the world will be watching. Whether it is for the drama, the stars, or the stories of surprise contenders, this is one summer tournament that promises fireworks, both on and off the pitch.