The FIFA Council, meeting by videoconference on Friday, unanimously decided to award the United States the rights to organize the new Club World Cup which will feature 32 teams in 2025.
The selection procedure took into account in particular the requirements in terms of infrastructure and services, as well as major strategic objectives for the competition, FIFA said in a press release.
“The decision was based in particular on the United States’ proven experience in hosting international events, as well as the opportunity for FIFA to maximize synergies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “, said the same source, adding that “if these will benefit both competitions, they will above all help to promote the development of football in North America”.
FIFA will also speak with relevant stakeholders to agree on the dates, venues and schedule for this revamped competition.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the premier competition for men’s professional club football globally. Thanks to the existence of the main infrastructure required and significant local interest, the United States was the ideal candidate to host this event in its new form, ”explained FIFA President Gianni Infantino, quoted by the press release.
“Among the teams that have already qualified are some of the best clubs in the world. Fans from all over the world will come to the United States with their passion and energy to experience an edition that will be a turning point in our vision of making football truly global,” continued Gianni Infantino.
The allocation of places by confederation and the key principles for team selection were validated by the FIFA Council earlier this year.
The world football body council has also awarded the hosting rights of the U17 World Cup 2023 to Indonesia, those of the U20 Women’s World Cup 2024 to Colombia, those of the U17 Women’s World Cup 2024 to the Dominican Republic and those of the 2024 Futsal World Cup to Uzbekistan. The exact dates of these competitions will be communicated in due course.
In addition, the 2023 Beach Soccer World Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates, has been postponed from November 16-26, 2023 to February 15-25, 2024.