How does the new Club World Cup work

Once upon a time, from 1960 to the early 2000s, there was the Intercontinental Cup: a single match between the champions of Europe and South America, which aimed to showcase a clash between two footballing worlds and cultures. It was a classic that fans generally remember fondly, if not for its folkloric elements, then perhaps for the nostalgia of “football from the past.” Then, in 2004, came the Club World Cup: the competition expanded to include five more teams (seven in total) from every continent, including one from the host country. This format ultimately came to an end in 2024, marking the close of a project that could be described as a failure.

The reasons for fans' disinterest and the criticism that poured in from all sides are numerous: first and foremost, the lack of tradition and history, which, combined with the forced scheduling amidst packed club calendars, diminished public interest. Then there was the relatively low appeal for the players themselves, especially the "big" clubs from the old continent. Lastly, the quality of play on the field suffered due to the enormous gap between teams from different continents. Rather than carrying on the legacy and spirit of the Intercontinental Cup, the sense is that its memory has been tarnished—similar to when TV series or movie sagas drag on for too long. And so, FIFA decided to change everything once again.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had already been advocating for a major overhaul back in 2016; however, it took several years—and the end of the pandemic, which delayed the debut of the expanded format (24 teams) initially scheduled for 2021—to finally arrive at the first FIFA-branded mega tournament for clubs. The countdown has now begun for the inaugural 32-team edition, although it remains shrouded in criticism and a suspicious lack of organizational details. Nevertheless, the competition will kick off in the United States next summer, when the 30 qualified teams will take the stage to the tune of Freed from Desire (the tournament's official anthem). "The Club World Cup will become bigger than the World Cup for national teams," promises Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of the ECA (European Club Association) and also of Paris Saint-Germain, a club known for its massive financial power and star players, though not necessarily the fans' passion. But let's try to set skepticism aside: what do we know, and what can we expect from the first FIFA Club World Cup? And why has it been met with such reluctance by insiders, despite replacing—and reducing the frequency of—a format that was far from beloved?

Highlights: Sporting Competition and Brand Identity

From an annual event held in winter, the tournament will now take place every four years (the next edition, in 2029, is likely to be held in Australia) and will be staged in the summer, just like the "real" World Cup. The inaugural edition in the U.S. will begin on June 15 with a fairly traditional structure: eight groups of four teams (single round-robin), followed by knockout rounds (single matches) starting from the round of 16, culminating in the final on July 13. To qualify, FIFA has allocated a certain number of slots for each continent—twelve for Europe, six for South America, four for Asia, Africa, North, and Central America, one for Oceania, and one for the host country—while the respective federations have established their selection criteria. From Europe, for example, a maximum of two teams from each league will qualify, including the reigning champions and those with the best UEFA ranking over a four-year period.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks, FIFA has unveiled—through a series of social media collaborations with participating clubs—the tournament’s revamped visual identity. The new logo features a modern and minimalist design, with the letters "CWC" (Club World Cup) stylized and arranged in a circular fashion, resembling the shape of a soccer ball. As for colors, the presentation opted for gold on a black background, but like any contemporary emblem, it was designed to adapt to various colors and contexts. The empty space in the center is meant to "host" other logos as needed: in the coming months, you’ll often see the host country’s and its federation's logos, or those of the qualified clubs; later, it will feature the logo of the club that lifts the trophy, and eventually, that of the country hosting the 2029 edition, and so on. All of this, as mentioned earlier, will be accompanied by the ever-popular tune of Freed from Desire, which has now become a true anthem for football fans worldwide.

Shadows: Organizational Delays and Calendar Congestion

Despite everything we know about the new Club World Cup, with less than a year to go before the official kick-off, "there is still much we don’t know," as Mark Ogden explained in a recent ESPN article. Just nine months before the tournament, the participating teams and their fans still don’t know whether they’ll need to travel to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles, or other cities. They don’t know where the matches will be held, nor where and when the group stage draw will take place. In major FIFA events of this scale, all match-related details (venues, dates, kick-off times) are usually finalized and announced years in advance. According to rumors in recent weeks, the most likely option would be cities on the Atlantic coast, for logistical reasons: the time zone is closer to Europe’s, and it coincides with the CONCACAF Gold Cup (held on the West Coast). There are also grey areas—unusually late ones—around financial matters (the prize money, despite optimistic forecasts, is still unknown) and broadcasting rights. "In mid-July, FIFA announced that it had opened a bidding process for broadcasting the event," according to ESPN, "after negotiations with Apple stalled. The tech giant had offered one billion dollars, while FIFA was asking for four." In short, there’s still a lot to do, and time is running out.

Lastly, there’s the issue of resistance the new competition has encountered within European football. Coaches like Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, along with several top players, have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the increasing workload. It’s no surprise that concerns about physical and mental burnout have been raised, given that the top clubs’ seasons start in mid-August and, with the addition of the Club World Cup, will now extend well into July. This grueling schedule will become the norm, even in years without national team tournaments. This coincides with the expansion of the Champions League and the ongoing compression of domestic competitions. In the case of teams like Inter and Juventus, for example, this means adding a demanding summer tournament in another continent to an already packed season, which includes Serie A (38 matches), Champions League (between 8 and 17 matches), Coppa Italia (1-5 matches), and the Italian Super Cup (1-2 matches, held in Saudi Arabia). This scenario has predictably clashed with criticism, which, for now, remains unheard by the key players in the business.

For the moment, clubs seem to be staying out of the debate, perhaps waiting to understand the financial returns from participating in the Club World Cup. This is a familiar dynamic, reminiscent of the discussions surrounding the migration of many competitions to the Persian Gulf. However, tensions between football governance and players could intensify in the coming months, potentially forcing clubs to take a stand.