UEFA places at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup are locked in + format explained

RB Salzburg is now part of the FIFA Club World Cup happening in the United States next year. When Arsenal got out of this season’s Champions League, RB Salzburg knew they were in. Now they’ll join teams like Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.

Since UEFA only allows two teams per country, RB Salzburg, from Austria, got in as the next best team after Arsenal’s exit. Every team still in the Champions League this season already has their spot secured.

The tournament starts on June 15th, but we don’t know the exact venues yet. It’ll all happen in the United States, and the final game is set for July 13th.

Here’s how the Club World Cup works: Teams are split into eight groups of four, just like the international World Cup. The top two teams from each group move on to the round of 16. In total, teams in the final will play seven matches over 29 days.

As for who’s qualified, Chelsea got in first by winning the UEFA Champions League in 2021. Teams that won the Champions League in 2022, 2023, and 2024, along with the top eight teams in the UEFA rankings, also qualified.

Teams from other confederations have their own ways to qualify. Here’s who’s officially made it so far:

UEFA: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, RB Salzburg

CAF: Al Ahly SC, Wydad AC, and two teams to be confirmed

AFC: Al Hilal SFC, Urawa Red Diamonds, Ulsan HD FC, and two teams to be confirmed

CONCACAF: CF Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Club León, and two teams to be confirmed

OFC: Auckland City

CONMEBOL: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, and three teams to be confirmed

The host country will be represented by an MLS side, but which one is still to be confirmed.