Archive June 12, 2025

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Teams, full schedule, prize money, how to stream

By in News, World News

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 kicks off in the United States on Saturday, with 32 teams vying for the title in the new-look expanded intercontinental club competition.

Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament:

What is the FIFA Club World Cup?

Until 2023, the FIFA Club World Cup was staged as an annual tournament every December and participation was limited to the winners of the continental club competitions, with the number ranging between six to eight clubs.

Starting in 2025, football’s governing body expanded the tournament to 32 teams and decided to run the revamped competition on a quadrennial cycle instead, similar to its showpiece FIFA World Cup.

A new FIFA Intercontinental Cup replaced the old Club World Cup as an annual competition in December 2024 with Real Madrid winning the inaugural edition held in Qatar.

How does the new Club World Cup work?

Historically, the Club World Cup has featured no more than eight teams, but the 2025 edition is vastly different.

This year’s edition on US soil will be the first in the tournament’s 24-year history to feature 32 clubs – the same number of teams as recent FIFA World Cups – including the winners of the four previous continental championships.

The teams will be divided into eight groups of four competing in a round-robin group stage with the top two clubs from each group advancing to the knockouts, which begin with the round of 16 and end with the final.

When is the FIFA Club World Cup?

The competition will begin on June 14, with the final scheduled for July 13. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule.

  • Group stage: June 14 to 26
  • Round of 16: June 28 to July 1
  • Quarterfinals: July 4 and 5
  • Semifinals: July 8 and 9
  • Final: July 13

Which teams will participate in the Club World Cup?

“Soccer” fans in the US will have the chance to watch some of the most popular clubs, including last season’s UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, 10-time English champions Manchester City and Italian heavyweights Inter Milan.

Qualified teams were determined by the winners of the continental club competitions, such as the Champions League, and the confederation’s four-year rankings.

Outside of Europe, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami is also part of the tournament, having controversially earned a spot as a representative of the host nation. Inter Miami won the Supporters’ Shield, handed to the team with the best regular-season record.

Lionel Messi, who has been playing domestically in the United States since 2023, will be under the spotlight as he takes part in the Club World Cup  [File: Rebecca Blackwell/AP]

Of the 32 clubs, Europe (UEFA) is the best-represented confederation with 12 teams, followed by South America (CONMEBOL) with six. Asia (AFC), Africa (AFC) and North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) have four teams each.

Oceania is represented by one club, while the final slot has been allocated to the host nation’s representative, Inter Miami.

Mexican club Leon had qualified by winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2023, but were removed by FIFA due to an ownership rule breach. FIFA said that Club Leon and another Mexican club in the tournament, Pachuca, did not meet regulations on multi-club ownership. Pachuca’s spot in the competition was unaffected.

After the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Leon’s appeal, FIFA confirmed a playoff between Los Angeles FC and Mexican side Club America that was won by LAFC.

Here is a list of the eight groups:

  • Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
  • Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
  • Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
  • Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, LAFC
  • Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
  • Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD FC, Mamelodi Sundowns
  • Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
  • Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, FC Salzburg
May 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; LAFC celebrates defeating Club America in extra time during a playoff match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
LAFC was the 32nd and final qualifier for the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Club America in extra time during a playoff match on May 31 [Gary A Vasquez/Imagn Images via Reuters]

Why are Chelsea, Inter Miami in, and Barcelona, Liverpool out of the FIFA Club World Cup?

FIFA rules for the Club World Cup state that only two teams from each country can play in the tournament, and European clubs’ participation was decided by their performances in the Champions League over the last four seasons.

Man City (2023) and Chelsea (2021) won the Champions League during that four-year window, taking up the two spots.

Other popular clubs such as Napoli, AC Milan, Barcelona, RB Leipzig and Sevilla also missed out due to UEFA’s four-year club coefficient rankings and two-team restrictions.

Where are the Club World Cup venues?

The 63 matches will be played across 12 venues in 11 cities. The opening match, Al Ahly vs Inter Miami, will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which has a spectator capacity of 65,000.

The MetLife Stadium, which serves as the home for the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL), will host both the semifinals and the final. MetLife is an 82,500-seat venue and was also chosen as the venue of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, best known as a college American football venue, is the biggest stadium with a capacity of 88,500. It is no stranger to hosting big events: the Rose Bowl was the site for the football gold medal match at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, as well as the men’s World Cup final a decade later. It will also be a venue for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

Here’s the full list of venues:

  • MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
  • Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida)
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington)
  • Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
  • TQL Stadium (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  • Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles, California)
  • GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
  • Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
  • Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Audi Field (Washington, DC)

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Will Messi and Ronaldo play in the FIFA Club World Cup?

Messi will, thanks to Inter Miami’s surprise qualification.

Messi’s club found a place as the club with the most points in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season, instead of LA Galaxy, who won the MLS Cup, which is regarded as the highest prize in the MLS.

FIFA announced Miami’s addition to the Club World Cup in October after they broke MLS’s regular-season points record with a 6-2 win over New England Revolution to reach 74 points. New England had set the previous record in 2021 with 73 points.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr did not qualify for the tournament, but it didn’t stop FIFA President Gianni Infantino from suggesting that the Portugal star could switch to one of the teams participating in the tournament.

“Cristiano Ronaldo might play in the Club World Cup,” Infantino told online streamer IShowSpeed in late May. “There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup, who knows? Still, a few weeks’ time, will be fun.”

However, Ronaldo cleared his position by saying, “You can’t take part in everything.”

“You have to think about the short, medium and long term. It’s a decision practically made on my part not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had quite a few invitations to go.”

How much is the prize money for the Club World Cup?

The total prize pot is $1bn, with the champions earning up to $125m.

About half of the $1bn will be divided between the 32 clubs, with the amount per club based on sporting and commercial criteria. It means that clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid will receive a greater percentage than smaller clubs in a model FIFA developed with the European Club Association.

A further $475m will be awarded on a performance-related basis. Hence, the team with the most wins over a potential seven matches will bank more cash, with a maximum pot of $125m available.

How to follow and stream the Club World Cup live

Al Jazeera Sport will run a live photo and text commentary stream for a selection of the biggest group stage and knockout games.

Online provider DAZN will stream the tournament worldwide, with territorial sublicensing to local free-to-air linear broadcast networks a possibility.

Israel deports six from Gaza aid boat Madleen, two more still in custody

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Palestinian rights group Adalah has confirmed Israel’s deportation of six more activists detained on board the Madleen aid ship as they sought to draw international attention to Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza.

The rights group, which legally represented the 12 passengers who were seized by Israeli forces in the eastern Mediterranean earlier this week, said on Thursday that the six detainees – two French citizens, including Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, and nationals of Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkiye – had departed Israel.

Another two French nationals remain in Israeli custody awaiting deportation on Friday, Adalah told the news agency AFP.

“While in custody, volunteers were subjected to mistreatment, punitive measures and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement,” said Adalah.

Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, had previously been barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territory, due to her support for boycotts of the country in light of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had dismissed the aid boat as a “selfie yacht”, posted a photo of Hassan on what appeared to be an aeroplane, confirming the deportation of the six passengers.

Four of the ship’s passengers, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter Omar Faiad, were deported on Tuesday.

‘We will not stop’

On Thursday, Hassan’s X account featured a post, calling on supporters to assemble in Place de la Republique in Paris, where protests calling for the release of the passengers still in Israeli detention and a lifting of the Gaza blockade had been held earlier in the week.

German citizen Yasemin Acar was also among Thursday’s deportees. A video circulating online showed her saying that she had arrived in Germany. “I just arrived in Germany. I am safe. But one thing is very clear: The siege of Gaza is still ongoing. The illegal blockade is still ongoing. People are still starving.”

“The only reason I did this, as a German citizen, is because my country, the very ground that I’m standing on, is not doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re sending more weapons … We need to stop this. We need to hold our politicians accountable for the genocide, for the starvation, for the killing of children, thousands of men and women. We will not stop.”

All 12 people on board the Madleen have been banned from Israel for 100 years.

‘Catastrophic hunger’

The United Nations has warned that Gaza’s entire population faces “catastrophic hunger” following nearly two years of war and over two months in which Israel has been blocking or heavily restricting the entry of food and other essential supplies.

Following an 11-week total blockade from March to May, Israel set up a new aid programme replacing existing networks run by the United Nations and charities, run by the shadowy US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

However, the sporadic distribution of supplies to Palestinians has been marred by repeated shootings, with more than 220 aid seekers killed by Israeli forces in the two weeks since the GHF began operations, according to the health authorities. On Thursday alone, at least 26 aid seekers were killed in Israeli drone attacks.

Israeli forces seized the Madleen and detained its crew early on Monday, about 100 nautical miles (185km) off the coast of Gaza, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the journey.

The vessel, accompanied by Israel’s navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Mark Wright apologises for ‘horrendous’ Instagram post in wake of Air India plane crash

By in Entertainment News, News

Mark Wright has apologised after sharing a post about a flight home from a holiday with Michelle Keegan on the same day as the news of the Air India plane crash

Mark Wright has apologised for a post he made on the same day as the news of the Air India crash(Image: Getty Images)

Mark Wright has apologised after sharing a post that was deemed insensitive in the wake of the Air India plane crash. He’s since deleted the post and said in a statement on his Instagram Stories that it had been a “horrendous coincidence”.

Mark, 38, and Michelle Keegan, also 38, have been sharing content on Instagram from a holiday to Spain lately. The couple, who were joined by some of his family on the trip, took their three-month-old baby Palma abroad for the first time. They are understood to have already returned to the UK and earlier today Mark is said to have shared a photo of the trio in front of a private jet at an airport. He reportedly teased over having limited leg room on standard flights in the post.

Mark Wright, in a white top and shorts, beside Michelle Keegan, in a white dress and black jacket, alongside a pram, at an airport with a plane in the background.
Mark Wright (right), pictured with Michelle Keegan (left), has apologised after sharing a holiday post(Image: Instagram/wrighty_)

The Heart radio host is said to have been met with a backlash over the post amid the news of the Air India flight, which went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. It had been bound for Gatwick Airport in London.

Mark has since apologised for the “mistake,” telling fans that he had scheduled the post, which has now been deleted, in advance. He shared a statement on his Instagram Story, in which he said it had been a “horrendous coincidence”.

He wrote: “I apologise for a post I just put up on my page after today’s heartbreaking events. I have posts from a holiday that are on the scheduled setting, which go out on future days I have set them for which was done last week.”

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Mark continued the statement by saying that it was a “coincidence” that it had gone out on the same day as the Air India crash. He told fans that as soon as he realised what had happened, he “immediately” deleted the post.

He added in the message to his followers this evening: “It’s a horrendous coincidence that today’s post was on such a devastating day. Once I logged in to my Instagram and realised the post had gone out, I immediately deleted [it].”

The former TOWIE star concluded by expressing sympathy with anyone affected by the plane crash. He wrote: “My heart goes out to everyone who has been effected from today. I’m sorry for this mistake and any offence caused.”

Apology statement issued by Mark Wright after a post.
He’s apologised for the post in light of the news today that an Air India flight has crashed(Image: Instagram/wrighty_)

According to the Sun, Mark had teased over not having extra leg room on the flight home from his holiday with Michelle and their daughter in the post. Seemingly teasing over them not travelling on a private plane, he’s said to have written: “1 day babe, for now we’ll take row 26 with no extra leg room.”

The outlet reports that some of his followers were quick to question the post given the news of the Air India flight. One person is said to have responded to him: “Not really appropriate to put this up after today’s plane crash.”

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Another is quoted as having said: “Prob not the best day to post this when so many people lost their lives on a plane.” Whilst a third person reportedly responded to Mark’s now-deleted post at the time: “Poor taste given today’s event.”

Japan’s 400,000-Follower ‘Insta-Gran’ Dies Aged 97

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A Japanese great-grandmother with 400,000 Instagram followers who shot to fame for her goofy self-portraits after taking up photography aged 72 has died, her son said on Thursday.

Kimiko Nishimoto, who died this week at the age of 97, told AFP in a 2018 interview that “you can take photos no matter how old you get”.

“Wherever it is, in your house, outside, or in your bed, you can do it. That is the nice thing about a camera,” she said.

Dubbed the “selfie queen” by Japanese media, Nishimoto’s posts showed her in various candid poses — from riding a broom like Harry Potter to imitating an off-duty sumo wrestler on their fifth beer of the night.

READ ALSO: Two BTS Megastars Released From South Korea Military

(FILES) This file picture taken on January 16, 2018 shows Kimiko Nishimoto posing next to a picture of her on the sliding window of her house in the western Japanese city of Kumamoto. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

“Our mother always created her work with a smile,” a post from her son Kazutami Nishimoto said on her Instagram account.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who visited her photography exhibitions held across the country, to those who shared warm words of encouragement through Instagram… and to all who supported her warmly throughout her journey.”

Nishimoto’s son teaches photography classes, which his mother started taking in retirement.

“Though she began photography at the age of 72, she was blessed with countless encounters, which enriched this third chapter of her life tremendously,” he said.

Nishimoto appeared on national television as her online following grew and was interviewed by major news outlets.

But her more out-there visual scenarios were also the cause of some confusion over the years.

One snap — showing her wrapped in a garbage bag, as if she had been discarded — drew criticism from people who didn’t know she was involved in its set-up.

South Africa have ‘belief’ to pull off ‘amazing’ victory

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Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist at Lord’s
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South Africa’s players have “massive belief” they can pull off a sensational victory in the World Test Championship final, says batter David Bedingham.

Australia initially put themselves in a strong position on day two, dismissing the Proteas for 138 in response to their own first-innings total of 212.

But South Africa roared back into the contest in the second half of the day as Australia collapsed to 144-8 – a lead of 218 – to leave the match on a knife edge.

Australia captain Pat Cummins said the contest is “50-50” in terms of who will emerge as victor.

And Bedingham, who top scored for South Africa in their first innings with 45, said his side will not be daunted but instead relish an “amazing chance” to secure a famous win at the home of cricket.

“We’re all very, very excited about the opportunity to win. It could go either way,” Bedingham said.

“When they started batting in their second innings, I think we would have definitely taken 144-8.

“So we are very confident and I think there’s a massive belief in this team.”

If Australia fail to add any more runs on day three South Africa would still be facing the fifth-highest Test run chase in Lord’s history.

Bedingham believes a positive approach from his side’s batters will be the best way to take on the challenge when they get the opportunity to bat on day three.

“I think we definitely showed more intent today. I think that will probably be the way we go about it,” he added.

How Australia spectacularly collapsed

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Australia lost five batters for just 29 runs – their fourth biggest collapse between the third and seventh wicket – to blow open the World Test Championship final.

Here’s how it happened:

17.5 overs – Labuschagne c Verreynne b Jansen 22 (Aus 44-3) – Labuschagne plays a loose drive and edges behind to wicketkeeper Verreynne.

18.5 overs – Smith lbw b Ngidi 13 (Aus 48-4) – South Africa successfully review an lbw against Smith, who plays across the line and is struck on his back pad in line with off stump.

22.6 overs – Webster lbw b Ngidi 9 (Aus 64-5) – A wide delivery angles back in, beats Webster’s inside edge and hits his back leg in front of middle stump.

23.4 overs – Head b Mulder 9 (Aus 66-6) – Mulder pitches the ball outside off and gets it to nip back past Head’s inside edge and into off stump.

‘Tricky’ pitch and ‘disciplined’ bowling behind Aussie struggles

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Australia skipper Cummins put his side’s collapse down to a “tricky” Lord’s pitch, and “disciplined” bowling from South Africa.

Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada picked up 3-35 and 3-44 respectively while Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder also claimed one apiece.

Cummins said: “I think it’s a mixture of the wicket still doing a little bit. It feels like just when it’s not doing anything, one ball will suddenly seam quite drastically.

“Both teams are kind of just hanging in that good length area, pretty tight line. I think the fast bowling from South Africa looked pretty tricky and the wicket has got enough in it to make it even more tricky.”

Cummins, who reached 300 Test wickets after he took 6-28, said any runs his side can eke out for their last two wickets could be vital.

“I am so happy we got 200. Hopefully we get another 20 or 30 in the morning,” he added.

“I think they’d give us a few more options to bowl, you know. A few more aggressive fields and those kind of things.

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Brighton sign 18-year-old Kostoulas in £29.8m deal

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
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Brighton have signed 18-year-old forward Charalampos Kostoulas for £29.78m (35m euros) from Greek side Olympiakos.

The teenager has signed a five-year contract that will start on 1 July.

The deal represents by some distance the highest fee ever received by a Greek club, beating the £16.6m Wolves paid to sign Daniel Podence from Olympiakos in 2020.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said: “He wants to play in the Premier League and we are excited about what he can bring to the team.

“He will give us different attacking options and we’re looking forward to helping him adapt to his new environment.”

Should an add-on of £1.7m for Kostoulas be paid during his time at Brighton, it would make the transfer a record deal for a Greek player – topping the £30.63m Napoli paid Roma for Kostas Manolas in 2019.

Greece Under-21 international Kostoulas made his first-team debut in 2024, having come through Olympiakos’ academy.

Kostoulas was a regular starter as Olympiakos won the prestigious UEFA Youth League in 2024, beating Inter Milan and Bayern Munich on their way to the final, where they defeated AC Milan.

Kostoulas is guided by an ex-basketball coach

Greek agent Giorgos Panou is credited with launching the career of superstar Milwaukee Bucks basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo and is now doing the same in football with Brighton’s new striker Kostoulas.

Just as he spotted Antetokounmpo, then a second division Greek basketball player in 2013, he noticed Kostoulas, nicknamed ‘Babis’, aged 15.

When asked how the two talents compare, Panou replied: “I felt the same way when I first saw Babis playing three years ago in an under-19s game, aged 15, to how I felt when I first saw Giannis.

“I got the feeling immediately that he is cold-blooded, immense talent, with great body language and ready to take on older, bigger guys without feeling pressure. I saw a potential to grow.”

Chelsea were credited with interest in Kostoulas in the past, while Brighton are believed to have beaten some of the biggest clubs in Germany to his signature. So why move to the south coast? The answer is, perhaps, unsurprising.

“They won the family and myself with how they talk, negotiate, give all the tools to thrive and have a good track record of developing similar young talents,” Panou said.

“So we feel very comfortable, and I’m really sure that Babis will adapt really fast in this environment. It was a no-brainer for me.”

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