The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has unveiled an updated format for the Club World Championship. The new changes will be implemented for the tournament set to take place in 2025.
The tournament will now feature 32 teams instead of seven, divided into eight groups of four teams each. Each club will play three matches against each of their group opponents in the group stage.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. From that stage onwards until the final, only single matches will be played, similar to the World Cup and European Championships. It is noted that there will be no third-place match for the losing semi-finalists.
The current format of the Club World Championship was last held in December 2023.
Manchester City's head coach, Pep Guardiola, the current trophy holder, expressed openness to changes in the tournament format but opposes reducing recovery time for players.