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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 28: The Seattle Sounders starting lineup pose before the game against the Houston Dynamo at Lumen Field on October 28, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Seattle Sounders FC will host European heavyweight clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, and Brazilian side Botafogo in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The draw for the tournament was held on Thursday in Miami with Sounders minority owner Ken Griffey Jr. on hand for the event.
The 32-team field was divided into four pots of eight teams split by confederation ranking and geographic consideration. The four-team pods for group play were then pulled from the pots, with restrictions to ensure teams from the same country or confederation were evenly distributed across the draw. One team from each pot was divided into eight pods for group play.
The Sounders were automatically allocated to the fourth position in Group B for scheduling purposes.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Atlético Madrid each earned their entry through their four-year rankings in UEFA. Botafogo won the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 2024. Botafogo will be Seattle's first opponent in the tournament.
PSG is the most decorated team in France with 48 domestic trophies, 12 Ligue 1 titles, 15 Coupe de France, nine Coupe de la Ligue, and 12 Trophée des Champions. They were also runners-up in the UEFA Champions' League in 2019-20, falling 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
Atlético Madrid has made the UEFA Champions' League final three separate times without winning the title, the most appearances by any club not to have won. They have numerous European titles, including the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962, UEFA Europa League in 2010, 2012 and 2018, and UEFA Super Cup in 2010, 2012 and 2018.
Botafogo is a two-time Brazilian champion along with their Copa Libertadores title in 2024, and Copa CONMEBOL title in 1992-93.
The Sounders will open the tournament against Botafogo before facing Atlético Madrid and concluding group play against PSG.
FIFA approved changes to the format of the Club World Cup in March 2023 after the Sounders made their debut appearance in the previous seven-team iteration of the event. The winners of each of the six FIFA confederations, along with the top team from the host country of the event, comprise the tournament field.
The Sounders earned entry to the 2022 tournament by winning the CONCACAF Champions League over Pumas UNAM. The Sounders lost 1-0 to Al Ahly of host country Morocco to miss out on a chance to face Real Madrid in the semifinals. Winning CONCACAF within the last four years earned the Sounders entry into the 2025 tournament.
The tournament has since expanded to a 32-team event that more closely resembles the international version of the World Cup before it was expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament. It will be held a year prior to the international World Cup in the same country as the upcoming event as a test run.
The Sounders will be the only U.S. based team to have earned an entry to the event because of their Champions League win. Inter Miami CF - and world star Lionel Messi - were also added to the field as a representative of the host country, though they only won the MLS Supporters’ Shield and not the MLS Cup.
The 32-team field was divided into four pots of eight teams split by confederation ranking and geographic consideration. The four-team pods for group play were then pulled from the pots, with restrictions to ensure teams from the same country or confederation were evenly distributed across the draw. One team from each pot were divided into eight pods for group play.
Seattle will play a pivotal role in both the Club World Cup next year, and the World Cup in 2026 with both tournaments held in the United States. Seattle and Los Angeles are the only two cities guaranteed to host the U.S. Men’s National Team for a group stage game in 2026. All three group stage games for the Sounders will be held at Lumen Field in Seattle.
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