Why the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Deserves Your Attention
The headlines paint a grim picture. FIFA’s expanded 2025 Club World Cup has been dismissed as an “absurdity” and a “heinous creation” by Guardian columnist Barney Ronay. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher declared there’s “no appetite for the Club World Cup from players, clubs, or supporters.” Social media echoes these sentiments, with critics calling the tournament bloated, unnecessary, and purely commercial. These criticisms miss a crucial point: the Club World Cup isn’t designed for Manchester City or Bayern Munich, it’s for the rest of the football world outside of Europe, and they desperately need it.
The European Blind Spot
For Europe’s elite clubs, the criticism rings true. Among the 12 UEFA teams invited, few view this tournament as more than an expensive preseason tour with prize money attached. Chelsea supporters would likely celebrate a Conference League trophy over a Club World Cup semifinal. Inter Milan fans remain prouder of their 2023 and 2025 Champions League final appearances than any potential summer silverware.
Even Real Madrid, despite taking the competition seriously enough to accelerate Trent Alexander-Arnold’s arrival, would trade this trophy for La Liga in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, fans of absent powerhouses like Barcelona, Liverpool, and Arsenal have openly hoped that missing the tournament means fresher starts to their domestic seasons. This Euro-centric perspective, however, ignores a fundamental shift in global football that began decades ago.
The Great Imbalance
Since the 1995 Bosman ruling opened the floodgates for player movement to Europe, non-European clubs have steadily lost ground. The explosion of global broadcasting deals has accelerated this trend, concentrating attention and money in UEFA competitions. Today, NBC’s “Premier League Fan Fest” events routinely draw thousands across the United States, while Tottenham sells out stadiums in Seoul.
The result? Millions of fans in Dallas, Mexico City, Lagos, or New Delhi feel deeper connections to Mo Salah’s Liverpool, Ousmane Dembele’s PSG, or Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich than their local clubs. While “support your local club” remains gospel for purists, the reality is more complex. New fans especially gravitate toward the glamour and showcase of European football.
For accomplished clubs outside UEFA’s sphere, this creates a painful paradox: they can dominate domestically but remain invisible globally. The Club World Cup offers a rare chance to change that narrative, and bring their passion and talents to a stage where the world is watching.
More Than Just Participants
The inaugural expanded tournament, hosted across the United States as a warm up for the 2026 World Cup, features 32 teams with genuine ambitions and passionate followings. This isn’t an all-star exhibition, it’s a legitimate competition with real stakes.
South America brings heavyweight contenders. CONMEBOL’s six representatives include Brazilian powerhouses Flamengo and Palmeiras, both coming off Copa Libertadores victories in recent seasons. Argentina’s iconic Boca Juniors and River Plate earned spots through four-year rankings, bringing massive global followings and desperate hunger for renewed international recognition since the 2018 Copa Libertadores final took place in Madrid, and captivated the footballing world.
North America showcases its growth. MLS representation includes Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami (controversially selected as host invitees), LAFC (who upset Club América to qualify), and Seattle Sounders. Mexico sends Monterrey, boasting Liga MX’s highest attendance, and Pachuca, who recently upset Botafogo and took on Real Madrid in the final of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup.
Asia and Africa demand respect. Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal represents the ambitious Pro League project, facing the ultimate test against European sides they view as their competition. Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds and South Korea’s Ulsan HD showcase East Asian football’s development, while Egypt’s Al Ahly leads Africa’s four representatives as the continent’s most successful club.
What’s Really at Stake
For these clubs, the Club World Cup represents far more than prestige, it’s potentially transformative. Prize money could vault teams to the top of their domestic leagues and help retain talent otherwise bound for Europe. Even River Plate, one of South America’s most storied institutions, recently sold 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono to Real Madrid for €40 million, before they could complete this year’s Copa Libertadores journey.
International exposure also builds global fanbases, driving merchandise sales and potential tv rights deals. Monterrey’s signing of Spanish legend Sergio Ramos, despite the 39-year-old’s injury struggles and semi retirement, demonstrates how star power still matters for commercial growth.
Perhaps most importantly, the tournament offers direct comparisons between different football ecosystems. Palmeiras facing FC Porto tests Brazilian fans’ claims that their Brasileiro league rivals Liga Portugal. Al-Hilal meeting Real Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg provides a high-profile benchmark for Saudi investment. These matchups matter in the global game.
Legitimate Concerns, Bigger Picture
Critics raise a lot of valid points. Ticket sales have been extremely sluggish, partly due to overpricing, a familiar problem from tournaments in the United States like the 2024 Copa America. U.S. immigration politics have created additional complications FIFA didn’t anticipate. Some games will be played in front of empty stands. Fixture congestion remains football’s most pressing issue, though FIFA didn’t create this problem alone. Clubs themselves fill calendars with commercial tours and friendlies, like Manchester United’s recent ill-fated Asia trip.
But low attendance doesn’t invalidate the tournament’s purpose. Global football has grown dangerously lopsided, with power concentrated in Europe’s big five leagues and the Champions League. Fans of clubs like LAFC, Fluminense, or Urawa Red Diamonds experience competitive domestic campaigns but rarely see their teams tested on the world stage.
Both the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana and the the CONCACAF Champions League have seen early round games played in half empty stadiums, as these competitions have seen better days.
A Stage Worth Watching
European supporters may view this as an unnecessary distraction, but ultras from clubs like Boca Juniors, Monterrey, and Flamengo will bring unmatched passion, noise, and color. Their dedication puts many Premier League atmospheres to shame.
If you’re unfamiliar with football outside UEFA’s orbit, this tournament offers a crash course. Yes, some matches may be lopsided, clubs like the Champions League winner PSG will likely cruise through certain games. But upsets happen in football, especially when underdogs have everything to prove.
This tournament will motivate clubs around the world to compete and rise to the occasion. African and Asian national teams have surged in recent World Cups, but their clubs still struggle for recognition. The Club World Cup raises those stakes.
The First Step Toward Balance
For all its flaws, the expanded Club World Cup represents the first serious attempt in decades to rebalance global club football. It gives non-European clubs a meaningful platform and their fans a chance to dream big.
Fixture congestion is real, but the alternative, continued European dominance while the rest of world football withers, is worse. The tournament’s commercial motivations are obvious, but so are those of every major competition. At least this one spreads opportunity beyond traditional powerhouses.
European skepticism was predictable. But football’s future depends on more than satisfying Europe’s biggest clubs. It’s time to encourage the dreams of clubs outside of Europe, from Rio to Casablanca.
The 2025 Club World Cup might not revolutionize football overnight, but it’s a start. In a sport increasingly divided between haves and have-nots, that alone makes it worth your attention.
Main Photo Credit: IMAGO: Flamengo, Audax Rio, Lorran