The newly revamped 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will begin on Saturday, 14 June, and conclude on Sunday, 13 July 2025. This is the biggest edition of the inter-club tournament in history, composed of 32 teams from six countries divided into eight groups. 63 matches will be played at 12 venues in 11 host cities across the United States.
With a revised four-year format modeled after the prestigious FIFA International World Cup, the blockbuster tournament has left fans pulsating with excitement and anticipation. Qualification for the new Club World Cup is based on sporting merit across a four-year cycle, welcoming the best clubs from FIFA’s representative associations.
The tournament features one representative from OFC, four from CAF, CONCACAF, and AFC, six from CONMEBOL, and 12 from UEFA, the most significant representation. Al Ahly FC, Wydad AC, Mamelodi Sundowns F.C., and Espérance Sportive de Tunis will represent the African continent. Qualification for the tournament has earned these four African Clubs supreme bragging rights over their contemporaries and rivals.
The maiden edition of the quadrennial competition welcomes the best in the business for a thrilling quest to claim FIFA’s highly coveted golden trophy as Club World Champion. This new format has since seen a massive increase in the prize pool. Set at $1 billion, it is the biggest prize for a football competition, with the winners receiving $125 million.
Al Ahly FC
The most decorated Club in football history, Al Ahly FC will compete against Inter Miami CF, Palmeiras, and FC Porto in Group A. The Egyptian Premier League side secured their spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup by triumphing in the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League.
Al Ahly are strangers to the Club World Cup, having participated in nine editions. They have never made it to the competition’s finals but have clinched the third position on 4 occasions, most recently in the 2023/2024 season. Aside from Raja CA, who lost to Bayern Munich in the 2013 final, and ES Sahel, who lost to Urawa Red Diamonds in the 2007 Semifinals, they’re the only African club to have qualified for the semifinals of the competition, with no other African team doing so on multiple occasions.
Al Ahly hold the record for the highest number of matches played in the competition’s history.
This tournament has higher stakes, with bigger prizes and opponents; their work is cut out for them. On Sunday, the Red Devils will square off against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in their opening group-stage fixture. Owing to their form, group opponents, and prestige in this competition, they have strong chances to make it past the group stages, and they should be able to nick a win off Inter Miami.
Of all the African clubs in this tournament, they are the best-ranked. They arrive at the Intercontinental tourney on the back of a remarkable season that saw them clinch a third consecutive Egyptian Premier title. They were defeated in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League by fellow Club World Cup participants Mamelodi Sundowns.
Players to Look Out For:
All eyes will be on stars Mohamed El-Shenawy, Emam Ashour, and Wessam Abou Ali. Team Captain and goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy is a dominant presence between the goalposts. He has expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to advance from the group stage and will lead the charge.
Emam Ashour remains the Egyptian Champions’ biggest goal threat. The Egyptian winger netted a league-best 13 goals to lead The Red Devils to the League title, and his goalscoring ability will play a significant role in their success or failure.
Palestine Striker Ali will spearhead the team’s attack and support Ashour in front of the opposition goal.
Wydad AC
Pitted in Group G against Italian heavyweights Juventus, English juggernauts Manchester City, and United Arab Emirates side Al Ain, Wayad Casablanca has a significant task ahead of them. Due to their continental triumph, the 2022 CAF Champions League winners clinched an automatic spot at the group stage.
This marks their third appearance in the competition, in 2017 and 2022 respectively. The 22-time Moroccan champions are yet to win a single game in the tournament’s history and were knocked out of the quarter-finals on both occasions. The Moroccan Botola Pro 1 side has been out of form recently, finishing third in the Moroccan league this season, 16 points behind the Champions. The three-time CAF Champions League winners have failed to qualify for the continental competition in the past two seasons. Due to their wobbly form, their inclusion in the intercontinental showdown has raised eyebrows in various quarters.
They have a minuscule chance of winning a match or making it past the group stage as they compete against European powerhouses Manchester City and Juventus FC. Al-Ain is not an easy opponent either.
Players to Look Out For:
Dutch winger Mohamed Rayhi ended the season as Wydad’s top scorer in the Botola Pro League. His technical ability, blistering pace, and eye for goal will prove vital in their unlikely quest to advance past the group stage.
Inconsistent Striker Cassius Mailula could be the Moroccan’s club ace in front of goal if he rediscovers his goalscoring touch.
Moroccan Goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid’s sharp reflexes can keep the back line secure and help the Club snag important points.
Espérance Sportive de Tunis
Club World Cup faithful ES Tunis will lock horns against Chelsea FC, CR Flamengo, and Mexico’s León in Group D. Runners up to Al Ahly in the 2023/ 2024 CAF Champions League final, the Tunisian powerhouse secured their qualification berth through the CAF rankings pathway through their impressive continental performances over the years.
They’re the third-ranked African Club, behind Sundowns and Al Ahly. The four-time winners of the CAF Champions League have participated in the FIFA Club World Cup on three occasions, in 2011, 2018, and 2019. They have never reached the quarter-final, finishing fifth place in 2018 and 2019.
ES Tunis was hugely successful in the 2024/2025 season, clinching a Tunisian league, Super Cup, and cup treble. They shook off a rocky start to the season to cement their status as an unstoppable domino in the Turkish League. The Beast of Africa will kick off their campaign against Flamengo on Monday night and should be able to take a strong stand against their Brazilian opponents. Chelsea seem an insurmountable challenge for them but they can get a result against Leon if they bring their A-game.
Players to Look Out For:
Youcef Belaili is Mkachkha’s key attacker, having netted 18 goals in 34 appearances this season. The 32-year-old winger will be fully intent on announcing his name to the global audience in style, having dominated the Turkish League already. Brazilian Yan Sasse was their top goalscorer in the league, and he can prove to be a formidable challenge for opposition defenders if he maintains his excellent form.
Algerian defender Mohamed Amine Tougaï was instrumental in anchoring the back line in their treble success this season and will provide a fortress at the heart of the defense for Es Tunis.
Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.
The South African Champions are going to face off against Borussia Dortmund, South Korea’s Ulsan HD FC, and Brazilian Serie A side Fluminense FC in Group F. Like Esperance De Tunis, the South African Club claimed a spot at the tournament via the CAF rankings pathway as the second-ranked Club in the African continent, behind Al Ahly.
The Masandawana are not strangers to the competition, having made their maiden and only appearance in 2016. They became the first Southern Africa to represent CAF in the FIFA Club World Cup after their CAF Champions League triumph in 2016. Unfortunately, they lost the two-legged quarter-final tie and crashed out of the competition. The South African Premiership side are raring to go in the Club World Cup and are in high spirits following an eighth consecutive league title triumph and a runner-up finish in the CAF Champions League.
Players To Look Out For
Brazilian hitman Lucas Ribeiro Costa could be the difference-maker for Sundowns in this tournament. He finished as the highest goalscorer in the South African Betway Premiership, and his clinical precision will be vital to the hosts. His strike partner, Iqraam Rayners, who finished second in the goalscoring rankings, significantly boosts the South African Club’s attack.
Young Brazilian forward Arthur Sales will aim to have a major impact on the tournament, having starred for Sundowns in the last session.
They have the reliable Ronwen Williams to reply on between the sticks. The African Goalkeeper of the Year was voted ninth-best goalkeeper in the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards, and he’ll be heavily invested in validating his status as Africa’s best.
