The US will host FIFA’s newly-expanded Club World Cup in 2025, football’s global governing body announced on Friday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed that the 32-team tournament is set to feature 12 European clubs, including the last three Champions League winners Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the US will co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
The dates for the new tournament have not been decided yet, but it is expected to fill the summertime slot left open by the now-defunct Confederations Cup.
The European Club Association approved the plans but the World Leagues Forum voiced concern over the “unilateral” decision of FIFA to place the new event on the calendar.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men’s club football, and with the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest, the United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament,” Infantino said.
The initiation of the tendering process for the 2030 World Cup has been postponed, with the bidding rules set to be presented for approval at the next FIFA Council assembly in either September or October.
The designation of the host nations by the FIFA Congress has also been pushed back, now expected in the last quarter of the upcoming year.
