In an announcement that adds to the idea that MetLife Stadium is the premiere venue for international soccer in the country, FIFA announced Saturday that the final of the 2025 Club World Cup will be played July 13 in East Rutherford.
Games in the expanded 32-team tournament, which will begin June 15, will be played at 12 venues across the country, including Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
The other ten sites include a combination of large stadiums and smaller soccer-only sites: Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Charlotte (Bank of America Stadium), Cincinnati (TQL Stadium), Los Angeles (Rose Bowl Stadium), Miami (Hard Rock Stadium), Nashville (GEODIS Park), Orlando (Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium), Seattle (Lumen Field) and Washington D.C. (Audi Field).
It has yet to be determined which sites will get which games.
Which teams will be playing is more certain, as 30 clubs have qualified, including some of the best known in the world:
Europe: Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg.
South America: Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, River Plate.
North and Central America and the Caribbean: León, Monterrey, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders.
Africa: Al Ahly, Espérance, Mamelodi Sundowns, Waydad.
Asia: Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan, Urawa.
Oceania: Auckland City.
Two more teams — one from the U.S. and one from South America — are still to qualify.
The groups will be drawn into eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout rounds.
The draw will be held in December.
