FIFA has awarded the first ever expanded 32-team Club World Cup to the United States, with the tournament set to take place in 2025.
The governing body announced their decision on Friday, saying that the FIFA Council was unanimous in its vote.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men’s club football, and with the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest, the United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a news release.
“With some of the world’s top clubs already qualified, fans from every continent will be bringing their passion and energy to the United States in two years’ time for this significant milestone in our mission to make football truly global.”
The U.S. is now set to host an incredible streak of major soccer events: the 2024 Copa America, the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 men’s World Cup are confirmed, along with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Should FIFA select a joint USA-Mexico bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, that would mark five straight summers with a marquee event in the United States.
FIFA said that the 2025 Club World Cup will serve as something of a dry run for the 48-team World Cup the following summer.
Awarding the 2025 event to the U.S. “would allow FIFA to maximize synergies with the delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2026, to the benefit of both tournaments and the development of football in the North American region,” the release said.
In December, Infantino announced that FIFA was moving forward with an expanded 32-team format for the Club World Cup, which has existed for several years with just seven teams participating.
Infantino said the tournament would be held in the summer and that the “best teams in the world” would be invited to participate.
There has been a backlash against the expanded tournament, however, with complaints about unnecessary competition with the UEFA Champions League, as well as adding more fixtures into an already crowded schedule.
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