Thursday 05 December 2024, 23:30

FIFA President Gianni Infantino: “FIFA has to give opportunities to everyone”

  • “Whatever FIFA does, it has to be global” – Gianni Infantino

  • Any club from anywhere in the world can dream of taking part in the new tournament states the FIFA President

  • FIFA’s global positioning reaffirmed after the draw for the new FIFA Club World Cup™

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ would give opportunities to players and fans worldwide, helping it to achieve FIFA’s mission of making football truly global. The new competition, to be played in the United States from 14 June to 13 July 2025, will be the most inclusive and first truly global club tournament ever played, featuring clubs from all six confederations and providing each team a minimum of three matches.

"Whatever FIFA does, [it] has to be global,” the FIFA President said after taking part in the draw in Miami. “(FIFA) has to involve the globe. (FIFA) has to give opportunities and chances to [everyone] all over the world, and the (FIFA) Club World Cup is doing exactly that.

"Any club from anywhere in the world can dream [about] playing in the FIFA Club World Cup. And any player from anywhere in the world can dream [about] playing for one of these clubs because these are the best clubs in the world. "The 32 best teams of the world – 12 European, six South American, four from the other continents, one from Oceania, [two] from North America – will play to determine, for the first time in history which will be, really, the best club in the world. You cannot be the best if you don't play against clubs from everywhere – the best clubs from everywhere."

FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ draw result

The FIFA President said there would be "some incredible matches, incredible games, be it South Americans against Europeans or Africans, Asians – it doesn't matter". During the star-studded draw show, the FIFA Club World Cup Trophy was unveiled for the first time by the FIFA President and Brazilian FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo.

"This is a trophy that has been built for the next 100 years,” the FIFA President said. “It is an innovative trophy. It is a sports trophy, such as the world has never seen before. It contains a lot of details including, of course, the names of all the member countries of FIFA, all the confederations, the whole history of football in 13 different languages, the position of the planets on the day where the (FIFA) Club World Cup will be opened.” The competition would also be a first for fans who, wherever they were in the world, would be able to watch every match for free after DAZN was confirmed as the exclusive worldwide broadcaster. "This competition will have two, three, four million fans coming to the US, but those who stay at home – wherever they are at home and whichever club they support – they will have the opportunity, again for the first time in history, to watch every game of their team or of any other team for free on TV," the FIFA President added. "So, it's there for every fan to enjoy the best of the best playing football to determine who will be the real, only, true world champion of club football with a trophy delivered by FIFA."