FIFA Club World Cup launches in Miami on Saturday

FIFA

The FIFA Club World Cup tournament kicks off June 14 in Miami with Inter Miami FC taking on Al Ahly SC of Egypt. Charlotte will host four matches starting June 22 with Spanish side Real Madrid vs. Pachuca of Mexico.

The hype is over. Let the games begin. 

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup commences in Miami  tonight with the Inter Miami FC taking on Al Ahly SC, 45-time champions of Egypt.

"I think there are huge teams coming from all over the world, and that moves a lot of people everywhere," Inter Miami star Lionel Messi said. "We’re talking about great teams, with very important players that people love to watch." 

Sunday will bring a slate of four matches highlighted by the new UEFA Champions League trophy holders and Ligue 1 titans Paris Saint-Germain against Atletico Madrid, who finished third in Spain’s La Liga this year behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. That game will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Brazil’s Palmeiras will face Portugal powerhouse FC Porto at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A local connection to that match is former Crown Legacy coach Jose Tavares, who returned to Porto last summer to take charge of their academy program. He was the caretaker manager of Porto’s first team for a week during a change in coaches in January. 

The second of three MLS teams in the competition, Seattle Sounders, have a home match against another Brazilian side, Botafogo RJ, at Lumen Field. Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich will take on New Zealand’s Auckland City FC at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

While DAZN is the primary tournament broadcaster, some matches will be carried on broader networks. The opener in Miami will also air on TBS, TUDN, and Univision at 8 p.m. Saturday. The PSG-Atletico match will air on TNT, TUDN, and Univision at 3 p.m. on Sunday. 

Charlotte is hosting four matches. FC Bayern will play their third group match at 3 p.m. on June 24 against Benfica of Portugal. 

The first game in the Queen City will be a club with a royal connection, Real Madrid. The honorific title “Real” is Spanish for “royal.”  Along with the crown in the club crest, it was bestowed upon the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920. They will face Liga MX club Pachuca on June 22 with a 3 p.m. kickoff. Charlotte will host Round of 16 games on June 28 and 30.

The tournament expands the previous Club World Cups from seven teams to 32. Teams are divided into eight groups of four. The top two clubs in each group after three matches will move on to the knockout rounds, which begin with the Round of 16. Players from 81 countries are participating in the tournament. 

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