ZURICH — The 2025 Club World Cup is set to commence a day earlier than initially planned, with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami participating in the tournament’s opening match on June 14. This monthlong event will culminate with a series of games at MetLife Stadium, located near New York.
FIFA released the schedule on Saturday, which includes a total of 63 matches for the tournament’s inaugural 32-team format, just two days after the draw event took place in Miami. The draw featured Ivanka Trump on stage, alongside a pre-recorded message from President-elect Donald Trump who expressed his congratulations to FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino.
The kickoff for the opening game has been moved to a Saturday evening, starting at 8 p.m. local time in Hard Rock Stadium, where Messi and his team will face Al Ahly from Egypt. This match will take place at 3 a.m. Cairo time.
As announced previously, MetLife Stadium will host the final match on Sunday, July 13, starting at 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Central European time). Additionally, the stadium has been confirmed to hold the two semifinal games on July 8 and 9, as well as one quarterfinal match on July 5.
On the second day of the tournament, four matches are scheduled to take place. The first will see Bayern Munich face Auckland City at noon in Cincinnati, followed by Paris Saint-Germain battling Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Later in the day, MetLife will host Palmeiras against Porto at 6 p.m., followed by the Seattle Sounders facing Botafogo at 7 p.m.
Real Madrid will play its first match on June 18 at 3 p.m. local time in Miami against Al Hilal, while Manchester City will kick off earlier that same day at noon in Philadelphia against Wydad Casablanca. Notably, some major matchups between European and South American teams are also scheduled, with Bayern Munich taking on Boca Juniors in Miami on June 20, and Inter Milan facing River Plate in Seattle on June 25, both set for 3 a.m. in Central Europe.
FIFA stated that its scheduling decisions were made to ensure adequate rest for players and to limit travel demands, while also considering projected weather conditions.
The matches in Pasadena and Seattle will be limited to group-stage games, whereas the knockout rounds, including the round of 16, will take place in cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The quarterfinals will also unfold in Atlanta, Orlando, and Philadelphia.
Teams earned their spots in the Club World Cup by securing continental championships between 2021 and 2024, or by consistently achieving high rankings throughout those tournaments. Inter Miami was granted a place in the competition due to its top finish in the MLS regular season standings. The MLS Cup final is set to occur on Saturday, featuring a match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.