Though football teams and players alike have been complaining for years about the never-ending series of fixtures that appears to be expanding year after year, FIFA elected to make their Club World Cup into something of a beast.
What had previously been a tournament for seven teams, with Europe’s elite expected to play a maximum of two games, has now grown gargantuan. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will feature a whopping 32 teams and will take place over an entire month this summer.
The event will act as something of a dress rehearsal for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with many of the same venues being used as the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and PSG battle it out with teams from around the world for the title.
This means that many players at Europe’s top clubs will have a very short break before their respective league seasons get back underway, though that won’t bother football fans who now get to see even more action.
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As well as the involvement of 12 European teams, the cream of the crop from South America, Asia and beyond will also be on display, making for quite a spectacle for Stateside fans as well as supporters who may want to double up on the chance to see their team in action with a summer holiday.
In 2023, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won the tournament, and according to the top sportsbooks, the Premier League team are joint favorites with Real Madrid to win the event in the US.
Given that the Etihad Stadium outfit have experienced, by their own very high standards, a poor 2024/25, the FIFA Club World Cup becomes an even more attractive proposition for Guardiola.
Indeed, Real Madrid, who will be managed by Xabi Alonso by the time the tournament kicks off, could also do with some silverware, having seen both their La Liga and UEFA Champions League crowns taken away from them this season.
On the exciting upcoming event, Guardiola commented.
“We will see how we finish the season and see how we arrive in that tournament together and then we will see what happens,”
“So, one step at a time, try to play better than we played in the league, arrive in better conditions, everyone and after we see.”
“What’s happening today in football, even in domestic leagues, there are different managers, different cultures, different styles and ways to play and of course you play teams from Oceania, Asia, South America.”
“It’s a new one and that’s why it's football, right?”
“It’s not always the same style, it’s different visions, different types of players, that’s culture so that’s nice.” Guardiola added.
Manchester City start the competition against Moroccan side Wydad AC in Philadelphia on June 18th, and the final will take place on July 13th in New Jersey, with many predicting that this will see Guardiola’s side face off against Real Madrid, in what would prove a mouthwatering encounter.