New Jersey Gets Final As FIFA Unveils Club World Cup Venues

The final of next year’s expanded Club World Cup will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Saturday.

The stadium, which is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, had already been chosen as the venue for the 2026 World Cup.

The first edition of the expanded 32-club tournament will kick off on June 15th and conclude at MetLife on July 13th.

The tournament will feature a total of 12 venues, with just two located on the West Coast: the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, near Los Angeles, and Lumen Field in Seattle.

The tournament is taking place at the same time as the regional CONCACAF Gold Cup which will be held mainly on the West Coast.

The other venues that will host games are Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).

The tournament draw is scheduled for December 30, with 32 spots already secured through the qualification process.

The Club World Cup will feature title-winning teams from each of FIFA’s continental confederations.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich are part of the 12 European teams that have qualified for the tournament, while Argentina’s River Plate and Boca Juniors, along with Brazil’s Flamengo, represent six South American teams.

“This new FIFA competition is the only true example in worldwide club football of real solidarity and inclusivity, allowing the best clubs from Africa, Asia, Central, and North America, and Oceania to play the powerhouses of Europe and South America in an incredible new World Cup which will impact enormously the growth of club football and talent globally,” said Infantino.

The FIFA president announced the venues on stage at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York.

FIFA has announced a four-year partnership with Global Citizen to support their anti-poverty initiatives. As part of this agreement, Global Citizen will produce the halftime show for the 2026 World Cup final.

Key test ahead

The tournament will be seen as a crucial test leading up to the 2026 World Cup, with particular attention on security concerns following crowd issues at the Copa America matches held in Charlotte and Miami this past July.

FIFA has yet to announce any broadcast deals or sponsorship contracts for the tournament and the competition has faced some opposition within the game.

FIFpro and the European Leagues body filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.

Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.

The last version of the Club World Cup featured seven teams in a knockout format and was won by Manchester City who beat Brazil’s Fluminense in the final in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA intends to host the expanded tournament every four years, but a host for the 2029 edition has not yet been selected.