Philly soccer fans have been treated to some top-shelf showcases of the sport in the past few years. The Union have been mostly competitive (let’s not say too much about this season) and international attractions like Liverpool, Chelsea, Germany, Argentina and Wrexham have come here for exhibition matches.Â
On Saturday evening at the Global Citizen Festival in New York, football’s international governing body FIFA announced that the Linc is getting more soccer next year as one of the 12 U.S. venues for the Club World Cup 2025.Â
“We are excited that Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field have been selected as one of the host cities/venues for the inaugural edition of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” Eagles President Don Smolenski said in an emailed statement. “This will serve as yet another opportunity to showcase Lincoln Financial Field on an international stage as we continue our preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”Â
The tournament to determine the best club team in the world will be the first edition of the new tournament format, which switches from annual to quadrennial and greatly expands the number of teams from the last edition’s seven.Â
It replaces the now-defunct Confederations Cup as the warmup competition for the World Cup in 2026, in which Philly will host five group games and a round-of-16 match on the Fourth of July, as part of a expanded, three-continent tournament.
Philly’s local organizing committee for the World Cup is not involved in 2025’s club competition, according to Meg Kane, host city executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026. She said in an emailed statement that the group is delighted that Philly was chosen, and that the selection reaffirms FIFA’s faith in the city’s “capacity to deliver an outstanding tournament and fan experience” for 2026’s big event.
“Although Philadelphia Soccer 2026 is not engaged in the operational planning for the 2025 tournament, we celebrate this event as an important opportunity to highlight our passionate fans, our welcoming neighborhoods, and our abiding commitment to growing the game as we build excitement ahead of FIFA World Cup 26,” she said. In June, Philadelphia Soccer 2026 revealed that the World Cup’s fan zone will be set up at East Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill.
The Linc has ramped up its soccer scheduling since it was named as one of the 16 venues for the World Cup, with a sellout crowd of 69,879 turning the stadium red in July for a match between Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal, which set a new record for soccer turnout at the stadium.Â
Next year’s club tournament will run from June 15 to July 13, with the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where the World Cup final will be held a year later on July 19, 2026.Â
Along with the stadium in East Rutherford and the Linc in South Philly, games will also be played at the following venues:
- Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium
- Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium
- Miami’s Hard Rock StadiumÂ
- Nashville’s GEODIS Park
- Orlando’s Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co StadiumÂ
- Pasadena’s Rose Bowl
- Seattle’s Lumen Field
- Washington, D.C’s Audi Field
FIFA says it will provide the details about how many games the Linc will have when it completes the draw in December. Here are the 30 teams that have qualified so far.
- From Asia:
- United Arab Emirates: Al Ain
- Saudi Arabia: Al-Hilal
- South Korea: Ulsan HDÂ
- Japan: Urawa Red Diamonds
- From EuropeÂ
- Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
- England: Chelsea and Manchester City
- France: Paris Saint-GermainÂ
- Germany: Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
- Italy: Inter Milan and Juventus
- Portugal: Benfica and Porto
- Spain: AtlĂ©tico Madrid and Real MadridÂ
- From South AmericaÂ
- Argentina: Boca Juniors and River Plate
- Brazil: Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras
- From North and Central America
- Mexico: LĂ©on, Monterrey, PachucaÂ
- United States: Seattle Sounders
- From Africa:
- Egypt: Al Ahly
- Tunisia: Espérance de Tunis
- Morocco: Wydad ACÂ
- South Africa: Mamelodi Sundowns
- From Oceania:
- New Zealand: Auckland City
Spots are still open for two more teams, one more from the U.S. as a host spot, and the winner of South America’s 2024 Copa Libertadores, which is down to Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro, which will face either compatriots Botafogo or Uruguay’s Peñarol in the final (River Plate is the fourth team in the semifinals, but has already qualified).
“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,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the announcement.
Tickets are not yet available for the tournament, but you can register your interest on FIFA’s website.
