 | |
| Organising body | FIFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Region | International |
| Number of teams | 32 (from 6 confederations) |
| Related competitions | FIFA Intercontinental Cup |
| Current champions |  Manchester City(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Real Madrid(5 titles) |
| Website | fifa.com/clubworldcup |
 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | |
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship. It was not held from 2001 to 2004 due to a combination of factors in the cancelled 2001 tournament, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), but in 2005 it changed to an annual competition through 2023. Following the 2023 edition, the tournament was revamped to a quadrennial competition starting in 2025. Views differ as to the cup's prestige: it struggles to attract interest in most of Europe, and is the object of heated debate in South America.[1][2]
The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in 2000, during which year it ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup, a competition played by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores, with the champions of each tournament both recognised (in 2017) by FIFA as club world champions.[3] In 2005, the Intercontinental Cup was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship, and in 2006, the tournament was renamed as the FIFA Club World Cup. The winner of the Club World Cup receives the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and a FIFA World Champions certificate.
The new format, which will come into effect with the 2025 edition, features 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation; 12 teams from Europe, 6 from South America, 4 from Asia, 4 from Africa, 4 from North, Central America and Caribbean, 1 from Oceania, and 1 team from the host nation. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing three group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, starting with the round of 16 and culminating with the final.
Real Madrid hold the record for most titles, having won the competition on five occasions. Corinthians' inaugural victory remains the best result from a host nation's national league champions. Teams from Spain have won the tournament eight times, the most for any nation. England has the largest number of winning teams, with four clubs having won the tournament. The current world champions are Manchester City, who defeated Fluminense 4–0 in the 2023 final.
- ^ Vickery, Tim (15 December 2008). "The prestige of the Club World Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Vickery, Tim (16 December 2014). "Club World Cup: Real Madrid ahead for San Lorenzo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Campo, Carlo (27 October 2017). "FIFA recognises all winners of Intercontinental Cup as club world champions". theScore. Retrieved 30 May 2024.