Soccer powerhouses from around the globe will battle in 12 U.S. stadiums in a monthlong tournament starting June 14, including at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
It’s not the World Cup — that’s a year away. It’s the Club World Cup: 32 prestigious professional soccer teams from nations’ top leagues. And Lower Hudson Valley residents who want to catch a match in person have a privileged perch: Nine of the games will be at MetLife — including both of the semifinals and the final that crowns the world champion.
Tickets are at the FIFA Club World Cup website and are advertised as available through other sources such as Ticketmaster.
FIFA also said all games will be streamed live on DAZN and people can watch using the free DAZN App, on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles. and web browsers.
How do the two soccer cups differ?
While the FIFA World Cup’s competitors are national teams — United States vs. Mexico, say, or Argentina vs. Brazil — this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup would be as if the New York Yankees played in a global competition that had the best ballclubs from other nations.
But soccer actually is global. The Club World Cup will feature storied teams from 20 countries that include England’s Manchester City and Chelsea, Spain’s Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, France’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Italy’s Juventus, Germany’s Bayern Munich, Brazil’s Flamengo, and Argentina’s Boca Juniors, as well as three U.S. Major League Soccer teams. One is Inter Miami — featuring legendary Lionel Messi, who set dazzling records playing for years for Spain’s FC Barcelona — and another is the Seattle Sounders. MLS’s Los Angeles FC defeated Mexico’s Club America on May 31 to get the final tournament spot.
How does the Club World Cup tournament work?
At the start, the 32 teams have been divided into eight groups, each with 4 teams.
Each group is identified by a letter: Groups A through H.
As in the World Cup, the teams start by competing within their groups to get to a group winner and runner-up, in the June 14-June 26 group stage. Each group’s top two move on to the next phase, called the Round of 16, which is June 28-July 1. After that are quarter-finals on July 4-5, semifinals on July 8-9 and the July 13 final.
The opening match, June 14 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, feature’s Messi’s Inter Miami taking on Egypt’s Al Ahly in Group A.
The cup winner will get at least $125 million of a $1-billion prize pool, according to tournament organizer FIFA’s figures, USA Today reported. That includes $475 million disbursed based on teams’ performance and $525 million divvied among the participating teams.
Which Club World Cup matches will be played at MetLife?
Groups A and F will play some of their group-stage matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Collectively, the two groups include teams from Brazil, such as SE Palmeiras and Fluminense FC, as well as Portugal’s FC Porto, and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, among others.
Group stage matches at MetLife are:
Round of 16 matches:
None at MetLife.
Quarter finals:
One match at MetLife: on Saturday, July 5, 4 p.m.
Semi-finals:
Both are at Metlife: Tuesday, July 8, at 3 p.m., and Wednesday, July 9, at 3 p.m.
Final:
At MetLife on Sunday, July 13, at 3 p.m.
Will the stars play in the tournament?
Top players have crammed calendars and, sometimes, commitments to national teams and pro club teams can run into each other. Players can also be recovering from injuries.
Some news reports said Real Madrid players Endrick and Jude Bellingham had injuries, but no reports of other major stars possibly missing the tournament could be found.
Which leagues have the top teams competing?
Many sports journalists write about Europe’s leagues as having the best of the best. They sign the world’s top players, with stars typically coming from Europe and from South America’s Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay. In past Club World Cups — which were in a much shorter format and involved fewer teams — European teams dominated. This year marks the first with the expanded 32-team format.
England’s top competition tier is the English Premier League. Think teams such as Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Spain’s highest pro level is La Liga. Its two giants are FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Italy’s Serie A is its top tier — historic champions of the league include A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Napoli.
Paris St.-Germain, which plays in France’s Ligue 1 and will be at the Club World Cup, just became European champions after winning the UEFA Champions League final on May 31 in a 5-0 rout.
On paper, U.S. teams such as Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders likely won’t be favored to go far in the tournament. The Opta Power rankings, which has ranked the world’s soccer leagues, in 2024 placed the U.S.’s Major League Soccer ninth; Opta’s top five were all European leagues.
Which elite teams won’t be in the Club World Cup?
Some top teams won’t be in the cup.
FC Barcelona, which just capped a stellar season, won’t be there. There will be no Liverpool, which just won the English Premier League, or England’s Arsenal and Manchester United.
The reason: The cup’s qualifying teams were decided by results that preceded the just-ended season, either by winning a continental competition — say, Europe’s UEFA Champions League — or through a ranking of a team’s performance over a four-year-window. There was also a host-country slot.
Messi vs. Ronaldo, one more time?
The Lionel Messi-vs.-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry dominated the sport for years. Both players have far and away the most social media followers of any athletes in the world. Messi played for Barcelona and Ronaldo for Real Madrid — teams that face each other every year in globally-watched “El Clasico” matches.
If hoping to see the rivalry rekindled at the Club World Cup, well, it wasn’t looking that way. But Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr, the Saudi Pro League team for which he’s played the last few seasons, is reported to end in June. Club World Cup teams can sign players for the tournament. News reports have speculated as to whether Ronaldo might join one of the teams.
World Cup will be in the U.S. next year
The Club World Cup may also give the United States a warm-up of sorts as a major-tournament host. FIFA’s World Cup — national teams competing against each other — will be held in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Contributing: USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: How Hudson Valley fans can see soccer giants play at MetLife: Club World Cup to kick off
Reporting by Michael P. McKinney, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
