The highly anticipated FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is finally taking shape. After much controversy, potential organizational issues, and teams threatening non-participation, the tournament’s structure will be officially determined. While the first kick-off is scheduled for June 15, 2025, in the United States (with the final on July 13), the crucial draw will take place on December 5, 2024, in Miami.
Starting at 7 PM Italian time (1 PM ET), the draw will divide the 32 qualified teams into eight groups of four. Inter and Juventus, the two Italian teams that qualified, eagerly await to discover their respective opponents.
Draw Procedure and Criteria
FIFA’s general principle is to ensure, where possible, that no group includes more than one team from the same confederation, except for UEFA, which has 12 representatives. Each group must have at least one, but no more than two UEFA teams.
Teams from the same national federation cannot be drawn in the same group. To ensure competitive balance, two separate paths have been established, each with four groups.
Inter and Juventus, placed in the second pot, will face different challenges. Inter will avoid other European giants and can only draw from South American powerhouses. Conversely, Juventus will face one of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or PSG.
As host country teams, Inter Miami CF will be automatically assigned to position 4 in Group A, while Seattle Sounders FC will be in position 4 in Group B.
The Draw Process
The draw begins by extracting all teams from pot 1, following the constraints described above. After all teams from pot 1 have been assigned to their respective groups, the draw continues by extracting all teams from pots 2, 3, and 4, emptying each pot before moving to the next.
A ball will be drawn first from the team pot and then from the first available group pot to determine the team’s position within the group, in accordance with the draw constraints described above.
The draw will end once all teams from pot 4 have been assigned, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting and globally representative Club World Cup in 2025.
