Most pro soccer leagues around the world are out of season. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a major club competition taking place this summer.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 in 11 cities across the United States, brings together a slew of major clubs from across the globe and all six confederations to compete in a knockout competition.
The 32-team field is divided into eight round robin groups, with the top two in each advancing to the round of 16. Both semifinals (July 8-9) and the final (July 13) will take place at New York’s MetLife Stadium, which will also stage the 2026 FIFA World Cup final next summer.
The FIFA Club World Cup groups are:
GROUP A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
GROUP B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
GROUP C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
GROUP D: Flamengo, Espérance de Tunis, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC
GROUP E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, C.F. Monterrey, Inter Milan
GROUP F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
GROUP G: Manchester City, Wyad AC, Al Ain, Juventus
GROUP H: Real Madrid, Al-Hilal, C.F. Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg
Let’s take a look at the top eight clubs in the field:
1) PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
2024-25 domestic season: Ligue 1 champions
2024-25 European season: Champions League champions
Schedule: Atlético Madrid (June 15), Botafogo (June 19), Seattle Sounders (June 23)
PSG is coming off a historic 2024-25 season in which it won four trophies, highlighted by its 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final on May 31. French international Ousmane Dembélé scored 33 goals in all competitions, leading a dynamic PSG attack that overwhelms most opponents, as Inter Milan discovered to its peril.
2) BAYERN MUNICH
2024-25 domestic season: Bundesliga champions
2024-25 European season: Champions League quarter-finals
Schedule: Auckland City (June 15), Boca Juniors (June 20), Benfica (June 24)
The Bavarians romped to the Bundesliga crown by topping the table with a 13-point edge over Bayer Leverkusen. Harry Kane plundered 38 goals in all competitions, headlining a Bayern side with plenty of star power and the ability to shred opposing defences at will. Canadian international Alphonso Davies is still out with a knee injury, but the Germans have so much depth that they won’t even skip a beat without him.
3) INTER MILAN
2024-25 domestic season: 2nd in Serie A
2024-25 European season: Champions League finalist
Schedule: C.F. Monterrey (June 17), Urawa Red Diamonds (June 21), River Plate (June 25)
Yes, the Italians took a pasting at the hands of PSG. But don’t let that one abysmal performance fool you; this is a very good team with quality and depth all over the pitch. They lost out on the Serie A title by a single point, pushing eventual champions Napoli to the final day of the season. They’ll have a point to prove after the debacle vs. PSG.
4) REAL MADRID
2024-25 domestic season: 2nd in La Liga
2024-25 European season: Champions League quarter-finals
Schedule: Al-Hilal (June 18), Pachuca (June 22), Red Bull Salzburg (June 26)
Los Blancos came up just short in this year’s La Liga title race, losing out to archrivals FC Barcelona by four points. A premature Champions League exit also stung their pride. But this is still a world-class outfit, featuring Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and the newly signed Trent Alexander-Arnold, who will be eager to make a good first impression at his new club following his exit from Liverpool FC.
5) ATLETICO MADRID
2024-25 domestic season: 3rd in La Liga
2024-25 European season: Champions League round of 16
Schedule: Paris Saint-Germain (June 15), Seattle Sounders (June 19), Botafogo (June 23)
Atlético didn’t win any major trophies this season, but Diego Simeone’s side was competitive in La Liga — they went unbeaten from Nov. 3 to March 1 — and finished third in the final league table. They also reached the semifinals of the Copa del Rey.
6) MANCHESTER CITY
2024-25 domestic season: 3rd in Premier League
2024-25 European season: Champions League knockout playoffs
Schedule: Wydad AC (June 18), Al Ain FC (June 22), Juventus (June 26)
The Citizens underwhelmed (by their high standards) this season, finishing third in the Premier League table and then bowing out in the knockout playoff round of the UEFA Champions League. But Pep Guardiola’s side can still hurt opponents, especially with Norwegian striker Erling Haaland at the helm of a potent attack and with midfielder Phil Foden supplying plenty of creative support.
7) FLAMENGO
2024-25 domestic season: 3rd in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
2024 South American season: Copa Libertadores quarter-finals
Schedule: Espérance de Tunis (June 16), Chelsea (June 20), LAFC (June 24)
The club from Rio de Janeiro tops the Brazilian league table at the moment, having suffered just one loss through its first 11 games of the campaign. Veteran Uruguayan striker Giorgian de Arrascaeta leads an attack that has scored 24 times this season, while the defence has held strong with just four goals against.
8) INTER MIAMI
2024-25 domestic season: 1st in MLS; 1st round of MLS playoffs
2024 Concacaf season: Champions Cup quarter-finals
Schedule: Red Bull Salzburg (June 18), Real Madrid (June 22), Al Hilal (June 26)
Sure, there are better teams on paper than the MLS side. But when you have Lionel Messi, that makes you an instant contender to win almost any competition. The Herons also have a core of experienced internationals that includes Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and will be anxious to strike a blow for MLS pride while playing on home soil.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
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