The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.
We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition, so check back regularly for the latest news as we follow the fun leading up to the tournament final at MetLife Stadium on July 13.
The lead: What did we like, dislike about Club World Cup’s first week?
We’re through the first full week of the 2025 competition in its new and expanded form, so we thought we would ask our reporters for their thoughts, good and bad, on proceedings so far.
Rob Dawson: A solid start, with some growing pains
My overall impressions of the tournament are positive. Attendances (in general) have been good, clubs have fielded strong teams, and there have been eye-catching upsets thanks to Botafogo beating Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami rallying to defeat Porto. It’s important that European teams don’t have it all their own way, even if ultimately it will be a huge shock if one of them doesn’t win it.
Speaking to sources at FIFA and different clubs, the message that keeps coming back is that we should remember this is a first attempt at an expanded Club World Cup. The feeling from executives is that there are going to be initial problems, but attitudes toward the competition could be much different in the future.
That said, there are definitely lessons to be learned. There has been a feeling in some host cities that the general public doesn’t know games are being played. A bit more visible advertising would go a long way. It’s tough for soccer to compete with the Major League Baseball season, the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals, but it would be nice to see more games being shown in sports bars — even if it’s only to generate a casual familiarity. Maybe it’ll change as we get deeper into the tournament, when the quarterfinals could throw up fixtures such as Real Madrid against Manchester City or Boca Juniors against Bayern Munich.
