Honestly, if you're confused about the soccer calendar lately, you aren't the only one. FIFA has been busy moving the goalposts—literally and figuratively. We used to have this tidy little seven-team tournament every December that felt like a preseason appetizer for some and a life-defining trophy for others.
That version? Gone.
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The new reality is massive. We are looking at a 32-team behemoth. So, when does Club World Cup start? If you’re looking at your 2026 calendar, you’re actually a bit late for the inaugural party, but right on time to understand how this permanent shift in the sport's landscape works.
The first-ever expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicked off on June 14, 2025.
It wasn’t just a weekend tournament. It was a month-long residency in the United States. Think of it like the "real" World Cup, but for clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Inter Miami instead of national teams. It wrapped up with a massive final at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025.
The 2025 Schedule Breakdown
You've got to realize this isn't a quick sprint anymore. It’s a marathon. The tournament follows the classic World Cup format that we all grew up with.
- Group Stage: June 14 – June 26, 2025.
- Round of 16: June 28 – July 1, 2025.
- Quarter-finals: July 4 – July 5, 2025.
- Semi-finals: July 8 – July 9, 2025.
- The Final: July 13, 2025.
If you missed the 2025 edition, don't worry. This is a quadrennial event now. It’s basically the summer blockbuster of club football every four years, positioned perfectly one year before the actual FIFA World Cup.
Wait, What About the Annual Tournament?
This is where it gets kinda tricky. People often ask "when does Club World Cup start" thinking about the yearly competition they used to see every winter.
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FIFA realized they couldn't just leave a three-year gap between global club competitions. Their solution? The FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Basically, while the "Club World Cup" is now a 32-team giant that happens every four years (2025, 2029, etc.), the Intercontinental Cup happens every year. It features the champions of the six continental confederations. It usually starts in September with early playoff rounds and concludes with a final in December.
So, if you’re looking for a match this year, you’re likely looking for the Intercontinental Cup. But the big show—the one with the "Club World Cup" branding and the 32-team grid—is on that four-year cycle.
Why the Start Date Actually Matters
The June start date for the new format was a huge point of contention. You’ve got players like Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland complaining about the workload, and honestly, they have a point. Starting a month-long tournament in mid-June means players from top European clubs have virtually no summer break.
The 2025 start date was specifically chosen to test the U.S. infrastructure ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It used 12 different venues, mostly on the East Coast to keep things friendly for European TV broadcasters.
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami): Where it all began.
- MetLife Stadium (New Jersey): The site of the trophy lift.
- Rose Bowl (Pasadena): A rare West Coast appearance for the tournament.
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta): A heavy hitter for the group stages.
How Teams Actually Get In
You can't just buy your way into this thing—well, unless you're the host nation's representative (shoutout to Inter Miami).
Qualification is based on a four-year cycle. For the 2025 tournament, it looked at the winners of the top continental trophies (like the UEFA Champions League) from 2021 through 2024. If a team won it twice, like Real Madrid did, they used a ranking system to fill the extra spots.
This meant the "start" of the tournament really began years ago in the qualification phases of the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, and the AFC Champions League.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're planning your travel or viewing schedule for the next cycle, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Year: Are you looking for the 32-team Club World Cup (every 4 years) or the 6-team Intercontinental Cup (every year)?
- Location Matters: FIFA tends to keep the Intercontinental Cup in neutral hubs like Qatar or Saudi Arabia in December, while the big Club World Cup will rotate host nations.
- Ticket Timing: For the 32-team version, tickets usually go on sale about six months before the June start date. Sign up for a FIFA+ account now if you want those alerts; they tend to disappear fast.
- TV Rights: Keep an eye on DAZN and FIFA+. They’ve been the primary broadcasters for these revamped formats, often offering matches for free to build the audience.
The landscape has changed. The days of a quick December trip to see the European champions crush a semi-pro team from Oceania are largely over. We’re in the era of the summer "Super League" style global tournament now.