With the venues set for the revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, we take a look at some of the winners and losers from the selections.
As the money going both into and out of football continues to rise exponentially, so has the number of different tournaments across the sport. We’ve become inundated with various competitions both domestic and international, so if you haven’t kept up with them all, we don’t blame you.
In 2025, we’re getting another revamped and expanded format for an already existing tournament: the FIFA Club World Cup.
Long overlooked by many major teams as a secondary competition, the Club World Cup got a major makeover heading into the 2025 edition, which will take place in the United States.
Instead of the annual format that started in 2000, immediately got canceled, and was revived from hiatus in 2005, the Club World Cup will now occur once every four years beginning in 2025, and will include 32 teams instead of seven. Replacing the annual tournament of continental champions will be the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which made its debut in 2024.
FIFA is hoping that a quadrennial Club World Cup will add to its intrigue, as the buzz around previous editions could be described as tepid at best. It will also give certain players a chance to have a bigger role on the international stage, like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who has yet to compete in a World Cup with Norway, or Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who saw a minimal role with England at the 2024 EUROs.
It will also give more clubs from outside of Europe an opportunity to step into the spotlight. Two of them will be from MLS — the Seattle Sounders have already qualified via winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup, and one more lucky team will be selected by virtue of the U.S. being the host nation.
Rumor is that current MLS Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami CF will be the second MLS club, which will give Lionel Messi perhaps his final chance to play on a global stage.
FIFA recently released the venues for the 2025 Club World Cup, with some host cities being predictable, while others…not so much.
With the U.S. co-hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, the 2025 Club World Cup, much like the 2024 Copa America, will be a test run to show what the U.S. is capable of from a hospitality perspective. Here’s to hoping things will go smoother than they did this past summer.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Host Venues
There are 12 stadiums across the United States that will host the FIFA Club World Cup tournament.
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA
- TQL Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
- Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
- Rose Bowl Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
- Hard Rock Stadium – Miami, FL
- GEODIS Park – Nashville, TN
- MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
- Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
- Inter&Co Stadium – Orlando, FL
- Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
- Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
- Audi Field – Washington, D.C.
But what do these selections mean? Let’s break down some of our biggest takeaways.
Takeaway No. 1: Rose Bowl over SoFi
The iconic Rose Bowl will represent Los Angeles in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. This is interesting to note because the more modern and dazzling SoFi Stadium will be the LA venue for the 2026 World Cup (although its selection was not without controversy).
While it doesn’t boast the fancy amenities of SoFi, the Rose Bowl, which is located northeast of Los Angeles in Pasadena, has already left its mark in soccer history. It hosted the 1994 World Cup final where Brazil beat Italy in penalty kicks. Five years later, it hosted another World Cup final, and birthed one of the most iconic images in American soccer history: Brandi Chastain’s celebration following her match-clinching penalty kick.
It’s still unclear as to why FIFA selected the Rose Bowl, which is nearly a century older than SoFi, and if the feud between SoFi’s owners and the global governing body played any role in it being snubbed. But it will be nostalgic to have a FIFA-sanctioned event back in Pasadena, and fans will get yet another chance to see why the Rose Bowl is The Granddaddy of Them All.
Takeaway No. 2: Nothing in Chicago (Again)
Chicago has one of the oldest MLS teams in the Fire and one of the original NWSL clubs in the Red Stars, whose roots actually lie in the WPS. Despite this, the Windy City was not selected as a host city for the FIFA Club World Cup — which might be surprising at face value, but is less so when considering that it wasn’t given a nod for the 2026 World Cup either.
According to NBC 5 Chicago, former Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel removed the city’s hosting bid due to cost concerns and high demands from FIFA. Additionally, there is a venue problem in the Chi, as Soldier Field just celebrated its 100th birthday and has a relatively small capacity of 63,500. Despite pitches to renovate the historic venue, which is home to the Fire and the NFL’s Chicago Bears, the owners threw in the towel and have committed to building a new stadium in the suburbs.
While cities like Los Angeles seem to plan ahead for global events like the World Cup and the Olympics, others like Chicago apparently move at their own pace.
Takeaway No. 3: No Mid/Southwest Love
Coming to the USA in 2025 🇺🇸#TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/ocAOgy87Fl
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) September 28, 2024
Kansas City, home of MLS’ Sporting Kansas City and the groundbreaking NWSL club Kansas City Current, was given a bid for the 2026 World Cup. Texas was given two venues for the tournament as well, via Dallas and Houston.
But all three cities were left out of the FIFA Club World Cup conversation. If you look at a map, there’s literally a gaping hole in the middle of the country.
Although Denver is only home to an MLS team, the Colorado Rapids, the greater metro area is a hotbed for soccer talent, especially in the women’s game. Empower Field at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, is also a pretty decent stadium. In the playing surface wars, the Broncos pride themselves on their commitment to grass, which makes for an easy transition to a top-of-the-line soccer pitch.
The East Coast bias makes sense from a time zone perspective (LA, Seattle, and Nashville are the only cities outside of Eastern Time), but if FIFA is serious about growing the game, they left a major opportunity on the table.
Takeaway No. 4: Not One, But Two Orlando Venues
While the Midwest was virtually shut out, Orlando received a pair of venues for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup — Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando is the only city that has multiple venues, and while it doesn’t have an NFL team, which is usually the mark of importance in the American sports world, the city has proven itself as ahead of the curve in embracing soccer.
Camping World Stadium is home to many college football bowl games and it hosted matches during the 1994 World Cup when it was known as the Citrus Bowl. Inter&Co Stadium is home to the MLS’ Orlando City and NWSL’s Orlando Pride and was a venue for Copa América this summer, so it’s tried and true.
This spring, Orlando was ranked No. 1 in the United States as the best sports city in regards to hosting events by the Sports Business Journal because of its savvy for tourism and success in hosting big events. Even the NBA Bubble and MLS is Back were there during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By enlisting two Orlando venues, FIFA is simply showing respect where it is due.
Takeaway No. 5: Atlanta Remains an American Soccer Hotspot
Mercedes-Benz Stadium was named a venue for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and will also be a site for the 2026 World Cup, including a seminfinal. That’s a big deal. The stadium, which houses the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, is also regularly packed out for MLS’ Atlanta United. The soccer club has been integrated nicely into the venue, including a team store and maintaining well-known traditions like the hitting of the Golden Spike before matches. It helps that both teams have red and black colors as well. But what’s special about Atlanta is how the entire city, including the vibrant music scene, has embraced soccer. It will be really fun to see the community on display for the world to see.
