FIFA Club World Cup Table 2025: Standings & Groups

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup produced some familiar faces at the top of the group tables and a few surprises that left some of Europe’s biggest clubs watching from home. As the first expanded 32-team edition wrapped up its group stage in June 2025, the standings revealed exactly which paths led teams into the knockout rounds—and which fell short. Here’s where every group ended up, and why certain clubs you’d expect to see weren’t in the bracket at all.

Teams: 32 · Host: USA 2025 · Tournament Dates: June 15 – July 13, 2025 · Group Leaders: Palmeiras, PSG, Benfica, Flamengo

Why is Liverpool not in the Club World Cup?

Liverpool’s absence from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup comes down to UEFA’s qualification rules and the club’s recent European performance. The tournament’s 12 European slots were filled by clubs that accumulated the highest UEFA club coefficients between 2021 and 2024. Chelsea qualified automatically as 2021 winners, while Real Madrid (2022), Manchester City (2023), and Bayern Munich secured their places through both recent success and sustained ranking dominance.

Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in 2019 but has not reached a European final since. The qualification window ran through 2024, and without a continental trophy in that span, the Reds fell outside the ranking threshold. The coefficient system rewards consistency over single seasons—Liverpool’s domestic Premier League strength didn’t translate into the European coefficient points needed to claim one of the coveted slots.

Qualification criteria for Europe

UEFA allocated 12 spots for European clubs in the 2025 expanded tournament. These went to the top-ranked clubs by UEFA club coefficient over a four-year period, with the 2021 Club World Cup winners receiving an automatic berth. The ranking considers points from Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League performances, weighted by round reached. Clubs like Liverpool, despite their global profile, did not accumulate enough points during the qualification window to finish inside the top 12.

Liverpool’s recent performance

Liverpool reached the 2022 Champions League final but lost to Real Madrid. In subsequent seasons, the club failed to advance past the quarterfinals consistently. The qualification window closed with Liverpool sitting below the threshold needed for one of Europe’s 12 slots. Their exclusion illustrates how the Club World Cup’s expansion made qualification more competitive, not less—more slots meant more clubs competing, and the coefficient bar rose accordingly.

Why is Barcelona not in the FIFA Club World Cup?

Barcelona failed to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup despite the club’s massive global profile and La Liga success. Like Liverpool, Barcelona’s exclusion stems from UEFA’s coefficient-based qualification system and the club’s struggles in European competition during the 2021-2024 window.

Barcelona’s continental results

Barcelona won the Europa League in 2021, defeating Sevilla, but that tournament carries significantly fewer coefficient points than Champions League success. The club reached the Champions League quarterfinals in 2022 but has not made a deep European run since. Without regular quarterfinal or semifinal appearances in Europe’s premier competition, Barcelona could not accumulate the coefficient points necessary to claim one of Europe’s 12 slots.

Slot allocation rules

The 12 European slots in the 2025 Club World Cup went to clubs ranked highest by UEFA coefficient. With Chelsea taking the automatic winners’ slot, 11 remaining spots went to clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Borussia Dortmund—all of whom consistently reached Champions League knockout stages. Barcelona’s coefficient ranking placed the club outside the qualification zone despite domestic league success and a massive squad valuation.

Why is Chelsea in the Club World Cup?

Chelsea’s presence in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is straightforward: the club won the 2021 edition and received an automatic qualification berth. The Blues defeated Palmeiras in the 2021 final in Abu Dhabi, earning not just the trophy but a guaranteed spot in the first expanded 32-team tournament four years later.

Chelsea’s qualification path

FIFA’s tournament regulations award an automatic berth to the winners of each preceding Club World Cup edition. When Chelsea won in 2021, they secured their place in the 2025 USA tournament regardless of their subsequent European results. The Blues went on to win the 2024 Europa Conference League, adding further coefficient points, but the 2021 title alone would have sufficed.

Automatic vs ranking slots

FIFA’s qualification structure includes both automatic berths (past winners) and ranking-based slots filled by UEFA coefficients. This dual system means clubs like Chelsea can qualify through historical success even if their recent form dips. The 2021 winners’ slot is reserved regardless of the club’s position in current coefficient rankings—a rule that rewards legacy achievement alongside ongoing performance.

How did PSG qualify for the Club World Cup?

Paris Saint-Germain earned their 2025 Club World Cup place through sustained Champions League performance and a strong UEFA club coefficient ranking. The French champions consistently reached the knockout stages of Europe’s premier competition during the 2021-2024 qualification window, accumulating enough points to claim one of Europe’s 12 slots.

UEFA ranking qualification

PSG’s qualification rested on their coefficient ranking across multiple seasons. The club reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2020 and final in 2021, then advanced to the knockout rounds consistently through 2024. These deep runs generated substantial coefficient points that kept PSG among Europe’s top-ranked clubs throughout the qualification window.

Performance over four years

UEFA’s coefficient system rewards sustained excellence rather than single-season brilliance. PSG’s consistent quarterfinal and semi-final appearances from 2021-2024 built a coefficient buffer that kept them safely inside the top 12 European qualifiers. Unlike clubs with one standout season, PSG’s multi-year Champions League presence demonstrated the kind of performance the qualification system rewards.

FIFA Club World Cup table 2025 groups

Eight groups produced 16 qualifiers for the knockout stage. The official FIFA standings reflect final group results, with tiebreakers applied through head-to-head records and goal difference where applicable.

Palmeiras edged Inter Miami for Group A supremacy by a single goal difference—both finished on 5 points, but Palmeiras’ +2 GD to Inter Miami’s +1 GD decided first place (FIFA official standings). Inter Miami, as tournament hosts, advanced in second place, marking a historic debut for Major League Soccer in the expanded format.

Group B produced the tournament’s tightest finish: PSG, Botafogo, and Atlético Madrid all finished on 6 points. Head-to-head goal difference broke the three-way tie—PSG finished with +3 in matches between the three clubs, Botafogo at 0, and Atlético Madrid at -3 (Wikipedia group tables). Seattle Sounders finished bottom with 0 points, the only MLS club to exit without a point.

Benfica topped Group C with 7 points, but Bayern Munich’s goal difference of +10 was the group’s most dominant statistic (DAZN tournament tables). The standout result was Bayern’s 10-0 victory over Auckland City on June 15—the tournament’s largest margin of victory (ESPN schedule and venues). Auckland City finished with a -16 goal difference, the worst in the tournament.

Flamengo topped Group D with 7 points, but Chelsea advanced comfortably in second place (Wikipedia tournament article). Both clubs would go on to meet in the final, with Chelsea lifting the trophy. Espérance de Tunis finished third, and LAFC—another MLS representative—finished with just 1 point.

Borussia Dortmund claimed Group F with 7 points, with Fluminense advancing as runners-up (Terrikon full stats). Mamelodi Sundowns, representing Africa, finished third with 4 points—a competitive showing for the South African champions.

Manchester City dominated Group G, finishing undefeated with 9 points—the tournament’s highest group tally (Terrikon tournament data). Juventus advanced in second place, with Al Ain picking up 3 points and Wydad AC finishing pointless.

Real Madrid topped Group H with 4 points, with RB Salzburg advancing on goal difference (Wikipedia tournament article). The group produced lower point totals than others, suggesting tighter competition among mid-tier European and Asian clubs.

Current standings leaders

The official FIFA standings show Palmeiras leading Group A on goal difference, PSG winning Group B despite a three-way tie, and Benfica topping Group C. Manchester City posted the tournament’s highest group points total (9) in Group G. European favorites Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea all advanced, though Inter Miami’s second-place finish in Group A marked the strongest MLS performance in the expanded format’s debut.

Qualification rules for Europe

UEFA’s Club World Cup qualification runs through a four-year coefficient system that rewards consistent continental performance. The 12 European slots go to clubs with the highest UEFA club coefficients, with one berth reserved for the previous edition’s winners. This means clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona—despite domestic success—must maintain European competitiveness to qualify.

“Teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain—perceived favorites coming in—qualified with relative ease.”

— OneFootball tournament overview

Clubs accumulate coefficient points through Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League participation, weighted by round reached. Deep runs in the Champions League generate substantially more points than domestic league titles, which is why clubs with recent European success like PSG, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid easily qualified while historically dominant domestic clubs fell short.

Which teams have qualified for 2025?

The confirmed 2025 Club World Cup qualifiers included 32 clubs from all six confederations. European representation came from Chelsea (2021 winners), Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and Atlético Madrid. South America contributed Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, Boca Juniors, and Benfica. Africa sent Mamelodi Sundowns and Espérance de Tunis, while Asia represented through clubs like Al Ain, Al-Hilal, and Ulsan HD.

“The FIFA Club World Cup group stage is in the books as 16 teams advanced to the knockout stage while the other 16 were eliminated.”

— OneFootball group stage recap

The expansion to 32 teams meant more clubs from outside Europe earned berths, but the knockout stage still skewed heavily toward European clubs. Of the 16 qualifiers, 11 came from UEFA—demonstrating the persistent gap between European and other continental club football.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup schedule

The group stage ran from June 14 through June 25, 2025, with matches across USA venues. Key dates included Bayern Munich’s 10-0 win over Auckland City on June 15 and the Al Ahly vs Inter Miami match on June 14. The final took place on July 13, 2025, with Chelsea defeating PSG to claim the trophy.

FIFA managed the schedule across multiple host cities, with matches in New Jersey, Miami, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The tournament’s 32-team format required 56 group stage matches before the knockout bracket began.

Related reading: Aberdeen F.C. Standings – 2024/25 Premiership Table and Position

Palmeiras and PSG currently top their groups in the detailed standings for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup ahead of the final.

Frequently asked questions

For clubs and fans tracking qualification paths, the UEFA coefficient system remains the key determinant for European representation. The gap between clubs that consistently perform in Europe and those that don’t widened further with the expanded format—with 12 European slots filling fast, domestic dominance alone no longer guarantees a place at the table.