Ten of the 12 Club World Cup stadiums are on the East Coast of the U.S., FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced Saturday
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Club World Cup to be played in 12 stadiums across 10 statesFinal will be held at MetLife Stadium on July 13Gianni Infantino dubbed it "the very best of global football"WHAT HAPPENED?
FIFA announced their venues for the 2025 Club World Cup, with the majority of the tournament to be played on the East Coast of the United States starting next June.
These are the venues, revealed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the Global Music Festival in New York Saturday:
The Rose Bowl, Los AngelesLumen Field, SeattleCamping World Stadium, OrlandoInter&Co Stadium, OrlandoMercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaGEODIS Park, NashvilleBank of America Stadium, CharlotteTQL Stadium, CincinnatiAudi Field, WashingtonMetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.Hard Rock Stadium, MiamiLincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
The tournament will start on June 15, and conclude four weeks later on July 13. The final will take place at MetLife Stadium.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The uncertainty around the Club World Cup has been met with scrutiny, with questions surrounding around FIFA's revamped marquee competition. Thirty-two teams are set to participate in the event, split into eight groups, with the top two from each advancing to a knockout stage.
The venue unveiling comes at a crucial juncture in the planning of the tournament. With just nine months before its scheduled kickoff, FIFA is yet to secure a TV rights deal or sponsorships for the competition. Meanwhile, both clubs and players have expressed their concern with the tournament, and how it might affect welfare at the end of a busy European season.
WHAT INFANTINO SAID
In the announcement at Global Citizen Festival, Infantino expressed his excitement at the start of the competition: "We are not only taking club football to the world, we are taking the very best of global club football across America."
DID YOU KNOW?
FIFA has struggled to nail down a TV rights package for the tournament. They entered negotiations with Apple surrounding a possible deal, but the tech giant offered $1 billion, a quarter of FIFA's reported asking price.