FIFA Club World Cup
The global club championship, now a quadrennial tournament of 32 teams.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by FIFA. First contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship, it was not held from 2001 to 2004, returned in 2005 as an annual competition until 2023, and was restructured into a quadrennial event beginning in 2025. The current world champions are Chelsea, who defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the 2025 final.
- Total Titles
- 5
- First Victory Year
- 2014
- Latest Victory Year
- 2022
- All-Time Record
- Most Trophies Won
- Tournament Scope
- Global Club Championship
Lore & Background
Real Madrid hold the record for most titles, having won the competition five times. Corinthians' inaugural victory remains the best result from a host nation's national league champions. Teams from Spain have won the tournament eight times, the most for any nation. England has the largest number of winning teams, with four clubs having won the tournament.
In Their Own Story
The air was thick with humidity and anticipation inside the stadium in Japan. The final whistle had just blown, silencing the roar of the crowd into a collective gasp before erupting into cheers. Players in white shirts embraced on the lush green pitch, their faces smeared with grass and sweat. One captain lifted the golden trophy high above his head as confetti rained down from the floodlit stands. It was not just another win; it was a statement that no matter where they traveled, Madrid remained the standard by which the world measured greatness.
Reader's Guide
The current format, which came into effect with the 2025 edition, features 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation: 12 teams from Europe, 6 from South America, 4 from Africa, 4 from Asia, 4 from North, Central America and Caribbean, 1 from Oceania, and 1 team from the host nation. All non-host teams qualify through results in their confederation's top club competition. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing three group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, starting with the round of 16 and culminating with the final.
Did You Know?
- The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in 2000, running in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup.
- In 2005, the Intercontinental Cup was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship, and in 2006 the tournament was renamed the FIFA Club World Cup.
- The winner receives the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and a FIFA Champions Badge.
- Real Madrid have won the competition five times, the most of any club.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in the Real Madrid universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record
