ZURICH (AP) — The 2025 Club World Cup will begin a day earlier with Inter Miami, featuring Lionel Messi, playing in the opening match of the tournament on June 14, and will conclude with a week of matches at MetLife Stadium near New York.
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FIFA released on Saturday the schedule of 63 matches for the first edition of 32 teams, two days after the draw took place in Miami.
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The draw ceremony featured the presence of Ivanka Trump on stage after President-elect Donald Trump sent a pre-recorded video message to congratulate FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino.
What are the main news of the FIFA Club World Cup calendar?
FIFA has moved the opening match to a Saturday, with the kickoff scheduled for 8:00 PM local time at the Hard Rock Stadium so that Messi and the local team can play against Al Ahly from Egypt. The start time is at 3:00 AM in Cairo.
It had been previously announced that the MetLife Stadium would be the venue for the final on Sunday, July 13th, at 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Central European Time, prime time), and FIFA said on Saturday that the New Jersey venue will also host the two semifinals on July 8th and 9th, and the last quarter-final match on July 5th.
The second day of the tournament will have four matches. It will start at noon in Cincinnati for Bayern Munich against Auckland City, and continues at noon in Pasadena for Paris Saint-Germain - Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl.
The other two matches on that Sunday will be Palmeiras-Porto, at 6 p.m. local time at MetLife, and Seattle Sounders-Botafogo, at 7 p.m. local time on the Pacific coast.
Real Madrid will debut on June 18 at 3 p.m. local time in Miami against Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia and Manchester City will do so earlier that day, at noon in Philadelphia against the Moroccan team Wydad Casablanca.
Miami and Seattle will host the debuts of the two Argentine clubs participating: Boca Juniors and River Plate. The "Xeneizes" will take the stage on June 16 against Portuguese team Benfica at Hard Rock Stadium, while the "Millonarios" will do so the following day against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field.
Two of the most prominent matchups between Europe and South America were scheduled for 3 in the morning in Central Europe: Bayern against Boca in Miami on June 20 and Inter Milan against River in Seattle on June 25.
FIFA stated that their match schedule aims to maximize rest and minimize travel for players. They also took into account the expected heat and weather conditions.
The two West Coast locations - Pasadena and Seattle - will only host group stage matches. All round of 16 games will be played in Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The quarterfinals will also take place in Atlanta, Orlando, and Philadelphia.