A total of 32 teams will participate in the tournament, with slots distributed as follows among the international football confederations.

Africa: 4 CAF teams. Three through the champions pathway (CAF Champions League) and one through the ranking pathway.

Asia: 4 AFC teams. Three through the champions pathway (AFC Champions League) and one through the ranking pathway.

Europe: 12 UEFA teams. Four through the champions pathway (UEFA Champions League) and eight through the ranking pathway.

North and Central America, Caribbean: 4 Concacaf teams. All through the champions pathway (Concacaf Champions Cup).

Oceania: 1 OFC team. Through the ranking pathway.

South America: 6 CONMEBOL teams. Four through the champions pathway (CONMEBOL Libertadores) and two through the ranking pathway.

Host country: 1 team.

The following criteria also apply:

If a club wins two or more editions of its confederation’s premier club competition between 2021 and 2024, the ranking pathway will be used for access.

A limit of two clubs per country will be enforced on the access list, except where more than two clubs from the same country win the confederation’s premier club competition during the four-year period.

What is the format of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

A group stage consisting of eight groups, each with four teams, played in a single-game round-robin format.

The top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16.

It then continues as a single-match knockout stage from the round of 16 to the final.

No third-place play-off.