Fifa’s expanded competition will run across the summer of 2025 and has drawn much criticism
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Fifa chief Gianni Infantino confirms expanded 32-team Club World Cup from 2025
Chelsea and Man City lead English interest in next year’s Club World Cup to fill the void next summer despite no European Championship or World Cup. Fifa has found yet another way to shoehorn more fixtures into the calendar and keep squads busy during the off-season.
The expanded Fifa Club World Cup will take place, hosted in Miami and with no fewer than 32 teams taking part across almost a month of action - something several players have already spoken out against in an increasingly congested line of work. Enzo Maresca and Pep Guardiola’s side represent the Premier League, having recently lifted Champions League titles in the Uefa zone, while Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the other European sides involved. From around the rest of the world, the likes of Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan, Mexico’s Monterrey and Brazilian quartet Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and Botafogo are all competing - as are the big two from Argentina.
The draw for the group stage takes place on Thursday and clubs will find out their first three opponents, with eight groups leading the top two in each to go to the round of 16 and beyond in the knockout stage. Follow the buildup and Club World Cup main draw in our live blog below:
Fifa Club World Cup group stage draw - live
32 teams taking part in tournament over summer 2025
Chelsea and Man City represent the Premier League
Every continental governing body has at least one team involved
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
So we have 32 clubs, two of which are from the Premier League.
Manchester City and Chelsea both have bigger things to think about this week - midweek action where they both won, then big games immediately coming up at the weekend - but they are the representatives this summer who face a month of competitive action after the 2024/25 finishes.
Such is the price of success - they’re in as a result of winning the Champions League recently.
Jack Rathborn5 December 2024 16:45
Fifa Club World Cup draw - live
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Club World Cup. Like the competition itself, we’ve expanded significantly: from merely covering the final to bringing you the draw in its entirety, as Fifa have decided 32 clubs need to be involved and the competition needs to last a month.
So here we are, six months and more before it starts, with pomp and ceremony and all the heart-stopping anticipation of whether your favourite former continental champions will be playing Porto, Ulsan or Al-Hilal.
Karl Matchett5 December 2024 16:22