Riyadh, December 6, 2024 – The eagerly anticipated group stage draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was held yesterday in Miami, United States, unveiling an exciting lineup for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal. In Group H, Al Hilal has been placed alongside some of the world’s most renowned football clubs: Spain’s powerhouse Real Madrid, Mexico’s CF Pachuca, and Austria’s FC Salzburg. In their opening match of the tournament, Al Hilal will face off against Real Madrid, setting the stage for a thrilling encounter between two of the sport's most prestigious teams.
The 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup is set to be the most expansive yet, with a significant increase in the number of participating teams. Scheduled to take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, the tournament will feature 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. The expansion reflects FIFA’s commitment to enhancing the global reach and competitiveness of the competition, making it a highly anticipated event for football fans around the world.
The format of the tournament has also been modified to accommodate the growth in teams, with a single round-robin group stage where each team plays every other team in its group. After the completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout phase, where the intensity ramps up as teams compete in single-elimination matches. This structure promises to deliver more action-packed games, culminating in the highly coveted final match.
With the draw now complete, the focus shifts to the teams' preparations for what is set to be an unforgettable tournament, where the world’s elite football clubs will battle for supremacy on a global stage. The expanded tournament not only increases opportunities for clubs from all corners of the globe to compete, but also strengthens the Club World Cup’s position as one of the premier events in world football.