2025 to Feature Unique Dual World Champion Titles for Football Clubs
2025 will see two football clubs potentially crowned world champions due to overlapping tournaments.
Key Points
- • Two world champion titles will be awarded to clubs in 2025: one from the FIFA Club World Cup and another from the Intercontinental Cup.
- • The FIFA Club World Cup will feature 32 teams and will be held every four years, debuting in 2025.
- • The Intercontinental Cup will continue to award a world champion annually, with PSG directly qualifying as UEFA Champions League winners.
- • Auckland City and other clubs could also compete for the titles in 2025, creating a fascinating double championship scenario.
In 2025, a rare scenario in international football is set to unfold, where two separate world champion titles may be awarded to clubs due to overlapping events: the newly formatted FIFA Club World Cup and the long-standing Intercontinental Cup.
The FIFA Club World Cup, which will expand to include 32 teams, is scheduled to debut in 2025. Teams will qualify based on their performance in continental tournaments over the preceding four years, engaging in a format similar to the traditional World Cup, featuring group stages and knockout rounds. The victorious club will claim the title of World Champion, proudly wearing a special badge on their kits for the next four years. This inaugural tournament will happen every four years moving forward.
Alongside this, the Intercontinental Cup continues its historical legacy as it will still recognize an annual world champion, with its first competition dating back to 1960. This cup typically pits the champion of the UEFA Champions League against the champion of the Copa Libertadores. The final for this year’s Intercontinental Cup is set for December 17, 2025, with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) participating as the direct qualifier from Europe, aiming to reclaim the title recently held by Real Madrid, which they won in December 2024.
Moreover, Auckland City, a prominent club with a successful history in the Oceania Champions League, will also compete for the world champion title, beginning their campaign against Egypt's Pyramids FC in the first round. Other notable contenders could include Brazilian clubs like Botafogo, Flamengo, or River Plate, should they claim the Copa Libertadores title in 2025. This situation creates an intriguing possibility for teams to secure two distinct world champion titles within a short timeframe, significantly impacting the football landscape.